Badger Project Sues Wind Point PD for Records

Journalism non-profit seeks records of LEOs on DOJ’s “flagged officer” list

The Badger Project’s third lawsuit in the last two months challenging the denial of a request for records related to an officer who resigned pending an internal investigation.  The Badger Project is a nonpartisan journalism nonprofit that focuses on and investigates government, politics, and related matters in Wisconsin.  It has published a series of stories about law enforcement officers who have been fired or forced out or who had resigned from one law enforcement job but had been rehired in another.

Similar to the two previous cases, The Badger Project asked for records regarding Richard L. Von Drasek, an officer who resigned from the Wind Point Police Department in 2023 and worked for the Burlington Police Department briefly before leaving that agency.  Wind Point denied that request, claiming that it could withhold all of its records about the investigation for a variety of poorly-considered reasons.

“Carrying a badge and a gun is a privilege, not a right,” said Tom Kamenick, President and Founder of the Wisconsin Transparency Project, which represents The Badger Project.  “Courts agree that police officers give up much of their privacy rights in exchange for the authority that society lends them.  Oversight of how that authority is used - and misused - is vital for a functioning society.”

"Studies have found that ‘wandering officers’ are more likely to commit misconduct again compared to rookies and veteran officers with clean records,” said Peter Cameron, Managing Editor of The Badger Project.  “Everyone deserves a second chance, but communities are best served when they know who is policing them. The Badger Project's work in this area aims to give them that transparency."