A former Sheboygan police officer is now working part-time for the Cascade Police Department after an OWI arrest in 2022. His current police chief says he deserves a second chance.

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By Annie Pulley, THE BADGER PROJECT

A police officer for the Cascade Police Department in Sheboygan County got arrested for drunk driving in 2022 while working for the Sheboygan Police Department.

All but two states in the nation consider the first offense for drinking and driving a crime. The two exceptions are New Jersey and Wisconsin, according to a list maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

So when Officer Hang Lor of the Sheboygan Police Department was arrested for “reckless driving, operating left of center, speeding and failing to stop for stop signs” in March 2022, he only got a citation but no jail time, according to court records.

“Not a day has gone by that I haven’t replayed parts of that night in some way,” Lor wrote in a letter to his police chief in July 2022 that The Badger Project obtained in a records request. “I carry the embarrassment, shame, and guilt of my actions every day and night.”

After his arrest in Sheboygan, Lor submitted to a blood draw, and the result was almost three times the legal limit, according to the Sheboygan Police Department’s investigation. He eventually pleaded no contest to operating with a prohibited alcohol concentration between 0.08 and 0.15. The court fined him $1,000, temporarily suspended his driver’s license and ordered him to install an ignition interlock device on his vehicles.

A few months later, he resigned from the Sheboygan Police Department after 14 years there.

His department spoke highly of him.

“I greatly appreciate Hang’s contributions to the department and his service to the city,” wrote then Sheboygan Police Chief Christopher Domagalski in a memo circulated within the department and obtained via records request. “Hang has been a friend to many of us, a teammate to all and a mentor to some. He has positively impacted many people in the community and built many great relationships. I wish him the very best going forward.”

The Cascade Police Department hired Lor in 2024 as a part-time patrol officer. His chief, Jason Liermann, said the 2022 incident wasn’t a “criminal matter” and commended Lor for taking accountability for his actions. 

“He has been very forward about what happened and left Sheboygan PD to work on himself,” Liermann wrote in an email to The Badger Project. “He is a hard worker who cares for the community he serves, and our community loves the experience he brings to our agency, which has difficulties retaining part-time officers.”

Liermann said his department consists of three part-time officers and himself, a part-time police chief.

Before Lor left Sheboygan, he wrote a letter to his chief. In it, he assumes full responsibility for his actions, apologizes to his department and writes about his experience with alcoholism. In the aftermath of his arrest, Lor wrote that he participated in an addiction recovery program and spoke with a behavioral health professional about creating a support group for first responders. 

“I wholeheartedly believe the need is there for such a program and would be eager to help so that no one ever has to be alone in the recovery or worse – a situation similar to mine,” Lor wrote. 

While still in Sheboygan, but before his eventual arrest and resignation, he was a peer support team member for his department and spoke openly about his challenges with substance abuse. 

“My battles with alcohol do not define me as a police officer,” Lor wrote in his letter.

His story isn’t entirely unique. 

About 30% of first responders will develop a substance use disorder at some point, according to a 2025 article from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

Because of the nature and peril of their jobs, first responders are “at great danger of being exposed to potentially traumatic situations that pose risk of harm to them or the people under their care,” reads a 2018 research bulletin from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “This constitutes a great risk for the behavioral health of first responders, putting them at risk for stress, PTSD, depression, substance use, and suicide ideation and attempts.” 

Liermann said he knew Lor had sought treatment and hadn’t repeated the same behavior between his resignation from Sheboygan and his hire at Cascade. 

“I decided to give him a [second] chance,” Liermann wrote.

If you or someone you know is in need of support, call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for a free and confidential national substance use hotline supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration or visit samhsa.gov.

The Badger Project is an independent, reader-supported news nonprofit in Wisconsin.