Less than two weeks ago, The Badger Project news service sued the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) in Dane County Circuit Court for documents pertaining to an investigation of a State Patrol officer fired in 2023, and the department has now agreed to settle an open records lawsuit, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.
The Badger Project regularly reports on police officers and jailers forced out of one law enforcement job and rehired at another, finding that Wisconsin’s number of such wandering officers rose by 50% between 2021-24.
The Badger Project twice requested records from the DOT, the State Patrol’s parent organization, earlier this year seeking documents related to the investigation of former state trooper Keegan Williams. According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Williams was “terminated for cause” in 2023 and now works for the Delevan Police Department.
The DOT initially denied both requests, maintaining that “the general public interest in access to records in this case is outweighed by the public policy” stipulated in Wisconsin open records law. The Badger Project subsequently filed a lawsuit Aug. 1, and the department signed the settlement Aug. 12.
Holly Fulkerson, assistant general counsel for the DOT, said the case had mistakenly been logged in their system as an “open investigation,” which the department considers grounds for withholding records. She said that following The Badger Project’s suit, the department realized it was not active and that its “release would be appropriate.”
The DOT will release Williams’ records after he has gotten the required time to challenge the decision in court, and, as required by state law, the department has agreed to repay The Badger Project’s nearly $1,300 in legal fees.
