On April 28, 2026, a Dane County Circuit Court ruling issued a ruling to require the Wisconsin Department of Justice to release a statewide dataset identifying more than 16,000 current and former law enforcement officers—including names, dates of birth, and employment histories. Below are news items demonstrating the WPPA’s aggressive advocacy on this issue, along with other updates regarding the status of this case.
- 04/28/26: Read the court’s decision.
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04/28/26: The WPPA issued this statement.
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04/28/26: Wisconsin judge rules DOJ must release all law enforcement officer names (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
- 05/01/26: Dane County court wrong to release police officer data | Editorial by WPPA Executive Director Jim Palmer (Wisconsin State Journal)
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05/06/26: Police accountability (Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Today” program)
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05/06/26: Ruling fuels debate over whether police officers’ names should be public (Wisconsin Public Radio)