Wisconsin 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 and WNA member 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.
A story about the appeal was published Aug. 5, 2026 in The Capital Times. According to the story:
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.
The two newsrooms challenged the denial in May 2024. The lawsuit dragged on until April this year when Dane County Circuit Court Judge Rhonda Lanford ordered the department to release the list of law enforcement names.
The DOJ’s safety concerns don’t outweigh the public’s right to the information or justify a blanket denial of access to the records, Lanford ruled.
Attorney Tom Kamenick is representing The Badger Project in the lawsuit. Kamenick is the founder and president of the Wisconsin Transparency Project, a law firm focused on enforcing the state’s public records and meetings laws.
Kamenick declined a request for comment on Kaul’s decision to appeal the Circuit Court ruling. Kamenick told The Badger Project he expected the same ruling from the Court of Appeals.
“(The) DOJ could not show that there was any real risk that any undercover officers’ identities would be revealed or that any officers’ safety would be put at risk. Appealing isn’t going to change that,” Kamenick said.
DOJ spokesperson Riley Vetterkind said the department is exercising its right to appeal and emphasized concerns for the safety of law enforcement officers.
Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, backs the Department of Justice’s appeal, saying he’s hopeful a higher court will balance the need for privacy and transparency.
“While we recognize and respect the important role that transparency plays in maintaining public trust, this ruling goes beyond transparency and raises serious concerns about officer safety, privacy and the unintended consequences of aggregating sensitive information,” Palmer said in a statement after the Circuit Court ruling.
The DOJ’s Office of Open Government helps enforce state open records law by issuing letters interpreting the law and opinions by the attorney general.
Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council President Bill Lueders said that role should make the department more committed to providing public records.
“Given the amount of distrust which exists between law enforcement agencies and the public, it really behooves the (attorney general’s) office to be on the side of transparency,” Lueders said.
