Deadly police encounters in Wisconsin were up last year and are on track this year to exceed the modern record of 26 deaths set in 2017.
Author Archives: Jacob Resneck / Wisconsin Watch
Jacob Resneck joined Wisconsin Watch in 2022 via Report for America, covering threats to democracy with an emphasis on rights in the workplace. Previously, he worked in Juneau, Alaska as an editor and reporter for the nonprofit public media consortium CoastAlaska. Before that he spent more than eight years abroad reporting from Germany, Turkey, the Balkans and Middle East. He’s also worked for weekly and daily newspapers in rural Northern California where he grew up and New York’s Adirondack Mountains. He now lives in Oshkosh with his wife, a poet and teacher and their two young children.
Posted inJustice & Safety
Details of some fatal Wisconsin police shootings remain secret
In two police shootings in the past year reviewed by Wisconsin Watch, state and local agencies used potential threats to involved officers as justification to indefinitely withhold the names of officers involved.
Posted inAsk Wisconsin Watch
Is freight traffic the cause of Amtrak delays between Milwaukee and Chicago?
A reader asked whether Amtrak’s Hiawatha passenger train service between Chicago and Milwaukee is notoriously tardy because it shares tracks with freight trains. Here’s the answer.
Posted inJustice & Safety
‘It shouldn’t be the wild west’: Wisconsin lacks clear system for tracking police caught lying
A Wisconsin Watch investigation seeking Brady files from all 72 counties found more than 360 examples in 31 counties of current and former Wisconsin law enforcement officers who prosecutors have flagged for dishonesty or breaking the law in ways that could undermine their credibility in court.
Posted inJustice & Safety
Brady lists: Here’s what to know about Wisconsin’s inconsistent system for tracking police caught lying
Public access to information about police officers caught lying is inconsistent across Wisconsin’s 72 counties. That’s the key takeaway after Wisconsin Watch filed records requests with every district attorney’s office and the state Department of Justice.
Posted inBill Watch
Proposal to centralize campaign finance reports for local elected officials stalls in Assembly
A bipartisan bill would centralize all campaign finance-related filings with the state. Passage this session is uncertain.
Posted inBill Watch, Government
Bipartisan support for curbing long sentences for minors has yet to pass
A bipartisan bill would give those convicted of a crime and sentenced to decades in prison when they were younger than 18 an opportunity to apply for early release after 15 to 20 years.
Posted inGovernment, Justice & Safety
Wisconsin judge under investigation for jailing man over dispute with courthouse employee
Nothing so far has come of a state criminal probe into Outagamie Circuit Court Judge Mark McGinnis, who has been a controversial figure since elected in 2005.
Posted inOpinion
Your Right to Know: Limit privacy protections for police
Law enforcement officers in Winnebago County shot three people in 2023, one fatally. And while we know the names of the people shot, the identities of those who pulled the trigger remain secret.
Posted inNews & Announcements
The impact of Wisconsin Watch’s statehouse coverage
Welcome to Wisconsin Watch’s Year in Review series. In this series, we’re looking back on Wisconsin Watch’s reporting and impact in 2023. Throughout the week, you’ll be hearing directly from reporters and editors and get exclusive behind-the-scenes looks at our biggest investigations of the year, along with some sneak peeks at what we have planned […]
Posted inAsk Wisconsin Watch
Why is there no public transit advocate in the state Legislature?
Democratic lawmakers who represent urban areas like Milwaukee regularly make the case for more state funding for mass transit like buses and passenger rail, but they have served in the minority since 2010.
Posted inJustice & Safety
A Grand Chute police recruit alleged she was sexually assaulted. Days later she lost her job.
A female Grand Chute police recruit went out drinking with two male cadets from Appleton and Sheboygan and awoke in a hotel room not remembering what exactly had transpired. Within 34 hours her own department concluded no crime occurred.