Complete Letter from Jackson County Sheriff Duane Waldera
Following an Officer lnvolved Shooting (OlS), the details and circumstances of the incident
are understandably of great interest to the public. This is especially true within the
community where the incident occurred. Recently, Jackson County unfortunately
experienced such an event. We know that events like this are deeply conceming and that
our community wants answers as soon as possible. I share that desire for transparency and
accountability.
The Jackson County Sheriffs Office is committed to ensuring that Officer lnvolved
Shootings are investigated in a thorough, impartial, and fair way. Under state law, an
outside agency is required to investigate an officer-involved incident when a person has
died. ln this case, the subject survived the incident. However, in a desire to be as
transparent as possible, we requested that the Wsconsin Department of Justice Division of
Criminal lnvestigation (DCl) lead this investigation. As such, the public release of any
information regarding the investigation should come directly from DCl. The Sheriffs Office
has not shared any information about this incident with the public sinc€ DCI took over, in
order to maintain the integrity of the ongoing investigation.
Once the investigation into the OIS has concluded, the investigating agency is required to
provide their complete report to the District Attorney for their review. The Districl Attorney
then determines lhe nexl course of action and may release information about the incide;t if
they see flt.
while I completely understand the public’s inlerest in the details of this incident, it would be
both inappropriate and potentially damaging to the investigation for the sheriffs office to
release any information about this incident, at this time. w! are committed to fully
cooperating with DCI throughout this process, and we will continue lo supporl a tirorough,
independent, and transparent investigation.
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