Ex-Captain Daniel Gruebele pleaded no contest to the citation last year. His last day as the commander of the Northeast Region in Fond du Lac came less than a week after The Badger Project reported the incident.
Derrick Rotta resigned his police position in Menasha in 2024 after being investigated for an allegation that he was “the most racist person at the department.” The Neenah Police Department hired him last year.
A veteran of the City of Waukesha Police Department quit in 2023 after he was arrested for driving drunk and knocking down a light pole with his Jeep. The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office hired him in March.
Andrew Straszkowski resigned from the Lake Hallie Police Department on the day of a disciplinary meeting regarding his use of force and insubordination. He’s now working at a nearby police department.
Matthew Elliott resigned from the sheriff’s department last month, just days after The Badger Project requested a 2022 investigation into him propositioning colleagues and sending others lewd photos.
Andrew Sundstrom, a former Muskego Police K9 officer, was accused of sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend, also a cop. He was forced out of the job but not charged and claims the allegations were “manufactured.”
Officer Matthew Frey resigned in lieu of termination from the Cumberland Police Department after facing dozens of complaints, including cursing at civilians and watching YouTube on duty.
Jeffrey Johnson resigned from the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office in 2022 after sending sexual images to female jail deputies. He was later hired in the next county over at the Minong Police Department.
A sheriff’s investigation recommended that the Waterford Police Department terminate Nathaniel Schweitzer in 2024. He was recently promoted to sergeant in Big Bend in Waukesha County.
Amanda Lang quit the Lannon Police Department after our story noted why she had been forced out of a previous job in law enforcement.
Coty Hazelett was rehired by the Vilas County Jail after his 2020 resignation, then moved to a similar job in Fond Du Lac County in 2023.
Police arrested Brent Wilmot after he fled the altercation in 2021. A superior says the department gave him a second chance in 2024 and he has become one of their “better deputies.”
An internal investigation found the officer, Amanda Lang, had “displayed a lack of integrity, honesty and trustworthiness.”
The first-place award recognizes managing editor Peter Cameron’s investigative reporting on wandering officers, those fired or forced out from previous jobs in law enforcement only to be rehired elsewhere.
The journalism nonprofit has again been recognized for its investigative work in the press club’s Excellence in Journalism contest.
The Badger Project is suing the Wisconsin Department of Justice for the names and work histories of all law enforcement officers in the state.
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.
Along with co-plaintiff the Invisible Institute, The Badger Project is seeking the records to continue its work on wandering officers.
