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Milwaukee Co sheriff’s deputy was fired from MPD after domestic violence arrest
Oak Creek Police officers arrested Christopher Romero Sanchez when he was a recruit officer in Milwaukee. The DA declined to charge him, and his law enforcement career has continued. A Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy was arrested for domestic violence in 2021 when he was a probationary officer for the Milwaukee...
Western Wisconsin congressman compares judge in Trump case to Nazi, calls him “Communist Scum” after jury convicts on all counts
Many Republicans attacked the justice system after a jury convicted Donald Trump in his hush-money trial. But Van Orden’s comments, one expert said, were “unhinged.”. U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden is not hesitant to use strong or insulting language on social media. But even for him, his response...
The Badger Project wins bronze at Milwaukee Press Club journalism awards
The Badger Project won first prize in the contest in 2022 and 2023 for its investigative journalism on law enforcement. The Badger Project won third place in the Milwaukee Press Club’s Online division for Best Investigative Story or Series division earlier this month. The series of stories, Oath Keepers in Wisconsin, revealed active law enforcement officers in Wisconsin who had joined the radical Oath Keepers organization.
‘Wisconsin does not, and should not, have secret police’ – The Badger Project sues state DOJ for full list of law enforcement officers
Along with co-plaintiff the Invisible Insitute, The Badger Project is seeking the records to continue its work on wandering officers. The Badger Project filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Justice Thursday after it again refused to release a list of all certified law enforcement officers in the state.
‘Not sexy, but critical’ – Bolstered by increase in state revenue, Mount Horeb plans to shore up police and fire
The village is using the funding bump to hire new public safety staff. More money is always nice. For Mount Horeb, it could mean a safer community. The village, like every municipality in the state, got a big increase this year in one type of funding from the state. The extra cash will help improve and maintain emergency services here, the police and fire chiefs say.
New, compacted political maps in Marathon County boot long-time legislator from old district
Republicans had drawn Wausau’s state Assembly district to include state Rep. Patrick Snyder’s Schofield residence. Democrats left him out. Since 2016, state Rep. Patrick Snyder has represented the 85th Assembly District, consisting of Wausau and some surrounding areas. So the Republican was probably surprised earlier this year to...
New legislative districts in NW Wisconsin give Dems a better chance in 2024, experts say
Moved out of his district, Republican Sen. Romaine Quinn says he will decide later on whether to run again in 2026, and if so, where. A Tyrannosaurus Rex took a big blue bite out of the 73rd Assembly District in Douglas County and spit it into the neighboring district. That’s...
Number of Milwaukee police officers decreased 16% in past five years
The force has gone from more than 1,900 officers in 2019 to about 1,600 today. The city says help is on the way. The total number of officers employed by the Milwaukee Police Department has declined by more than 15% in the last five years, from more than 1,900 to about 1,600.
Here’s how Superior, Douglas County will use state funding bump in 2024
SUPERIOR — A raise is always nice. The city of Superior and Douglas County both aim to use the bump to improve their communities, in ways both seen and not. The city and county, like every local government in the state, got a big increase this year in a type of funding from the state called shared revenue. Superior received a boost of more than $1.7 million, an increase of 23%, to bring its 2024 shared revenue total to nearly $9.3 million.
See how your U.S. House rep voted on aid to Ukraine, Israel/Gaza, Taiwan and a possible TikTok ban
The votes this weekend split the Wisconsin congressional delegation of six Republicans and two Democrats in unusual ways. While the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that provides funding to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Saturday, it divided the eight congressional representatives from Wisconsin in unusual ways. A bill that could lead to a nationwide ban of the video-sharing app TikTok also passed.
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. After three years of record homicides in Milwaukee, killings dropped last year and continue to fall this year. But the numbers still aren’t as low as before the pandemic.
Wauwatosa PD hired officer who resigned from Greenfield PD after investigation of high-speed chases
Travis Karweik worked for the Greenfield Police Department for nearly four years, but resigned in 2021 while under investigation for accusations of reckless driving and other misconduct. A newly hired officer at the Wauwatosa Police Department resigned from a previous law enforcement job after superiors said he displayed “reckless driving,...
Wisconsin law enforcement agencies that 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. Wandering officers — police and jailers who were fired or forced out from a previous job in law enforcement — have increased in Wisconsin by more than 50% since 2021, an investigation by The Badger Project has found.
Waukesha County sheriff’s deputy resigned from previous law enforcement employer after accusations of harassment
Paul Picciolo was a lieutenant with the Bayside Police Department, but resigned after accusations of harassment and unprofessionalism. The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department hired a deputy a few months after he resigned from a police department where he was being investigated for harassment, according to documents The Badger Project obtained in an open records request.
More than 300 Wisconsin officers back in law enforcement after being fired or forced out, up 50% from 2021
Sheriff’s offices in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties, Milwaukee PD employ the most wandering officers as the total number of police statewide continues its long decline. Wandering officers — police and jailers who were fired or forced out from a previous job in law enforcement — have increased in Wisconsin by more than 50% since 2021, an investigation by The Badger Project has found.
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%, and another record low. Following the slide across the country, the total number of law enforcement officers in Wisconsin continues to decline to record lows.
Could Ron Johnson be the next Republican Leader in the Senate? He isn’t saying no.
Experts say it’s unlikely, but “nothing seems totally out of the question” amid the uncertainty of the Republican Party. When Sen. Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the longest-serving Senate leader in history, announced he would vacate that position starting in November, the jostling for the top spot began.
Wisconsin Dems Pocan, Moore oppose bipartisan bill to force Chinese company to sell TikTok stake or face ban
The top U.S. intelligence agency says China uses the popular social media platform to influence American elections and “magnify U.S. societal divisions.”. A bipartisan bill that would force a Chinese company to sell its stake in the popular TikTok social media platform or face a ban easily passed the U.S. House on Wednesday.
For third straight year, Milwaukee Press Club nominates The Badger Project for journalism award
The Badger Project won first prize in 2022 and 2023 for its investigative journalism on law enforcement. The Milwaukee Press Club nominated The Badger Project’s managing editor Peter Cameron for a 2023 Excellence in Journalism award in the Online division in the category of Best Investigative Story or Series. The nomination is for a series of stories on active law enforcement officers in Wisconsin who had joined the radical Oath Keepers organization in the past.
Conservative groups, trade associations, private companies – The biggest lobbying law violators in Wisconsin since 2016
When lobbyists violate the state’s strict rules, the Wisconsin Ethics Commission negotiates a fine. See who’s paid the biggest ones in recent years. Not even a cup of coffee. Wisconsin has strict lobbying laws. So strict that lobbyists are not allowed to give anything of monetary value to...
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