Category: Law enforcement
-
‘You wouldn’t call your plumber to fix your teeth’ – Nonpolice response teams may cut crime, save cash, but data limited
Programs that manage stubborn problems like mental health and homelessness, with or without police, are spreading across Wisconsin, and the nation. Early results are promising, experts say.
-
From record low, total number of police officers in Wisconsin ticks up 4%
The total number of law enforcement officers in the state has steadily decreased since the Wisconsin Department of Justice started tracking it in 2008. Efforts to reverse that trend may be working, experts say.
-
Milwaukee-area police who joined Oath Keepers resigned jobs after The Badger Project investigation
One is now working for a sheriff’s department. The other two are out of law enforcement, according to the state DOJ.
-
Milwaukee Co sheriff’s deputy was fired from MPD after domestic violence arrest
Oak Creek Police officers arrested Christopher Romero Sanchez in 2021 when he was a recruit officer in the city of Milwaukee. The DA declined to charge him, and his law enforcement career has continued.
-
‘Wisconsin does not, and should not, have secret police’ – The Badger Project sues state DOJ for full cop list
With co-plaintiff the Invisible Institute, The Badger Project is seeking the names and work histories of every law enforcement officer in the state to continue its work on wandering officers.
-
Number of Milwaukee police officers decreased more than 10% in past 5 years
The force has gone from more than 1,900 officers in 2019 to about 1,600 today.
-
Milwaukee homicides falling after record peaks during pandemic. What’s going on?
After three years of progressively higher killings in the city, the number finally fell in 2023, and is on track to drop again this year.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.”
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.