Category: Law enforcement
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Wauwatosa PD hired officer who quit previous cop job after high-speed chases
Travis Karweik worked for the Greenfield Police Department for nearly four years, but resigned in 2021 while he was being investigated for accusations of reckless driving and other misconduct.
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Wisconsin law enforcement agencies who employ the most wandering officers
More than 300 active officers in the state were fired or forced out from previous jobs in law enforcement. Here are the departments that employ the most.
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Waukesha Co Sheriff’s deputy quit last policing job after harassment accusations
Paul Picciolo was a lieutenant with the Bayside Police Department. He resigned when he was investigated for complaints from a subordinate.
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Over 300 Wisconsin wandering officers back in law enforcement, up 50% from ’21
Sheriff’s offices in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties, Milwaukee Police Department employ the most wandering officers as the total number of police statewide continues its long decline.
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COP CRUNCH CONTINUES: Total number of law enforcement officers in Wisconsin keeps dropping to new lows
Nearly 14,500 officers patrolled the state in 2008. Fewer than 13,000 officers were on the streets at the end of 2023, a drop of 11 percent, and another record low.
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Nearly 40 people in Wisconsin have been charged for defrauding COVID funds
See the list of people and their charges below. A public hotline is available for reporting fraud.
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Waupaca County Sheriff’s deputy has two DUI convictions on his record
Waupaca County Sheriff’s Deputy Mitchell Butterbrodt received the second in Beaver Dam in 2018 when he was an off-duty state trooper.
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Wisconsin police chief joined anti-government group Oath Keepers in 2017
Town of Dover Water Patrol Chief Josh Martinson’s name was on a leaked membership list of Oath Keepers. The chief says he “cut ties” after learning “what they stood for.”
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Names of active Wisconsin cops found on Oath Keepers membership list
An investigation by The Badger Project discovered the names of three Wisconsin police officers among the 38,000 on the leaked list.
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Four officers fired, forced out from policing back on job in NW Wisconsin
The state DOJ tracks police who leave employment with law enforcement agencies under negative circumstances. The Badger Project found these officers analyzing that database.
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County jail officer staffing in Wisconsin has fallen to a ‘crisis level.’ Taxpayers are picking up the tab.
The number of county jail officers in the state sinks to its lowest point since the state Department of Justice started keeping track in 2008.
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After suffering record homicides during the pandemic, Milwaukee is reporting fewer this year. Nonfatal shootings are a different story.
Six months into the year, homicides are down about 30% in Milwaukee, mirroring the national decline in homicides and other violent crime following a surge during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Wausau Police lieutenant forced out in 2019 after investigation alleged sexual harassment
The Badger Project had to sue the police department to get the large parts of the investigation unredacted.
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‘You’ll be dead before they get here’ – Vernon County sheriff’s deputy was arrested twice for threatening wife
Mark Bellacero, a law enforcement officer in western Wisconsin, was charged with a minor offense for the 2012 arrest. A district attorney chose not to charge him for the 2013 arrest.
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Total number of police in Wisconsin, already at historic lows, continues to drop
Battling record low unemployment and other currents, some law enforcement agencies are using civilians to do some police work to ease the burden and calm tensions.
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Police in Wisconsin killed 149 people since 2013, lower than national rate
But Marinette, Walworth counties, Green Bay, Eau Claire and Waukesha have higher rates; experts say quality training may be keeping statewide numbers low