(The Center Square) – Wisconsin lawmakers are asking to increase the penalty for impersonating a police officer after several incidents inside the state and after Minnesota House Speaker Emeritus Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed by a man impersonating an officer in June.
Muskego Police Chief Stephen Westphal pointed to a case earlier this year where a man impersonating U.S. Border Patrol joined an officer at a scene where a teenager had collided with a deer. At that point, Westphal found out that impersonating an officer was a misdemeanor in the state, unlike impersonating someone who works for a state utility or public officer.
“It was a very odd situation for the officer at the scene,” Westphal told the Assembly Committee on Judiciary.
A new bill would make impersonating an officer a Class I felony punishable by up to 3 ½ years in jail and a $10,000 fine instead of the current misdemeanor where the maximum punishment is nine months.
“This bill sends a powerful message that impersonating a law enforcement officer isn’t just lying, it’s weaponizing public trust that puts citizens at risk, it underminds confidence in real officers and it enables serious crimes,” said Jim Palmer, Executive Director of Wisconsin Professional Police Association.
Rep. Chuck Wichgers, R-Muskego, said that there were two cases of impersonation in Washington County and Sun Prairie in 2023 along with the Muskego/New Berlin case this year and a 2018 case in Franklin.
In Washington County, he said, a man claimed he could help the victim avoid legal charges if he received explicit photos and sex.
“I would argue that anybody who is trying to impersonate an officer has nefarious intent,” Westphal said. “Why do I have to wait for them to commit the other crime to get the felony?”
Wichgers and police representatives all said that the bill would act as a deterrent to those attempting to impersonate an officer.
The misdemeanor charge is “out of balance with the gravity of the offense,” according to Palmer.
