Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial Vandalized

Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial vandalized… again.

1 of 10

The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial, which commemorates the sacrifice of fallen officers, was vandalized, with lines drawn over the names of some officers. The vandal(s) also drew lines over the word “service” and other sayings on the monument.

The vandalism came to light on October 2, 2023.

Representative Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc) and former Republican Attorney General candidate Eric Toney, who is the Fond du Lac county district attorney, both released statements condemning the repeated defacing of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial.

“On Monday morning, October 2, 2023, staff approached the Capitol to once again see damage to the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol Square. Names, words of inspiration, and in particular, the word ‘service’ were scratched out with some sort of brown marker or crayon,” Dittrich wrote in a statement.

“Given the actual breaking of the stone of the memorial that occurred during the 2020 protest, which has now taken Wisconsin taxpayer dollars to restore, this was extremely upsetting to see,” she said.

“Our law enforcement officers deserve our support and respect as they put their lives on the line for the citizens in this state every day. They have also worked very hard to improve procedures, training, and protocol over the past three years. We cannot return to the days of violence, destruction, and hatred that divisively burned our communities in recent years.”

Dittrich continued: “While I trust that the Wisconsin Department of Administration will promptly work to remove this damage from the Memorial, I would like to hear what the Evers administration will do to prevent this from happening again.”

“The Wisconsin law enforcement memorial means so much to the families of the fallen, law enforcement, and our state,” said Toney. “This is the third attack on the memorial since 2017, and the attacks must end. Anyone responsible must be held accountable to show Wisconsin stands with those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in keeping our communities safe across Wisconsin.”

WRN contacted the Capitol police in Madison to inquire about the vandalism, but we did not hear back from them. No one answered the phone given on the memorial’s website.

In 2017, the memorial was also vandalized, with writing spelling out “#Justice4AnthonySmith.”

In August 2020, Jordan A. King, 25, of Verona, was charged with criminal damage to property after striking the memorial 23 times with a sledge hammer.

The memorial lists the names of 283 fallen Wisconsin officers.

“The mission of the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial is to remember & honor Wisconsin Law Enforcement Officers killed in the line of duty. Each fallen officer’s name is engraved on the memorial to pay respect for their sacrifice to the people,” its website says.