Civics: Wisconsin DOJ appeals order to release list of police officer names
Attorney General Josh Kaul is appealing a Dane County judge’s order for the Wisconsin Department of Justice to release a statewide roster of law enforcement officials in response to a request under open records laws.
The Badger Project, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates politicians and law enforcement, and the Chicago-based Invisible Institute filed the request for a database of state-certified law enforcement officers in 2023. The request sought 17 categories of information including the names of officers, employment dates, and dates or years of birth.
The newsrooms sought the information to help identify police officers convicted of crimes who weren’t disciplined and to track officers who have changed law enforcement agencies frequently, according to a lawsuit filed by the newsrooms.
The DOJ partially fulfilled the request in 2024 but denied providing the newsrooms with a list of all certified law enforcement, which is estimated to include more than 16,000 officers. Among other reasons for withholding the information, the DOJ said providing such a list would jeopardize the safety of law enforcement officers, particularly those who are undercover.
