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The Justice Beacon

A Wisconsin Department of Justice Internal Newsletter

October 24, 2022

A message from Communications Director Gillian Drummond

Happy fall y'all! Thanks for taking the time to read the second edition of the Justice Beacon — the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) newsletter. It's a busy time of year throughout DOJ among all of our divisions and offices.  In the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) we have been working to promote the Office of School Safety in effort to secure permanent funding for it in the next biennial budget. Speaking of the biennial budget, thank you to everyone who attended our first DOJ Huddle, which featured Chris McKinney, who gave a detailed presentation on the budget process. We can't wait to feature other offices and divisions in future Huddles. Please reach out if you're interested in hosting a Huddle. I'd also like to take a minute to sincerely thank everyone who has been working to make the new DOJ website a reality. From the Bureau of Computing Services staff working on the technical side of web development to the content editors in each division making the pages more readable and user friendly, it really is a huge team effort. The website is currently in the development phase, with a tentative plan to launch in the spring. Don't forget, we are currently in the 50th year of Partners in Giving! I am looking forward to seeing many of you at virtual Trivia Night on Tuesday, November 1, 2022,  from 5:00 -7:00 p.m., click here to learn how to sign up.  I hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween, I'll be escorting a tiger around the neighborhood during trick-or-treating. Can't wait to see some of your Halloween photos in our next zoom meeting or as we pass in the halls. Take care!

Collaboration Corner

DOJ has partnered with UW-Madison Center for Law, Society, and Justice and the UW-Platteville Department of Criminal Justice and Social Sciences to provide the first female focused mentoring program at the two universities for students interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice. 

Thank you to the 14 volunteers from DOJ who are participating as mentors in this program. Members of the Division of Legal Services, the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Division of Forensic Sciences, the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center, and the Office of Crime Victim Services are donating their expertise and time to help the next generation of women in criminal justice, thank you!

Diversity Advisory Council (DAC)

You are cordially invited!

This is a public announcement that everyone is invited to attend our meetings! All DAC meetings, including DAC subcommittee meetings, are available to DOJ personnel. Guests are encouraged to actively engage in DAC discussions, project planning, and even event hosting. The only difference between a guest and a DAC member is that guests cannot vote on DAC matters, but they may still voice their thoughts and provide a helping hand!

Meetings are conducted on the second Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. We are now building a hybrid meeting environment in which our meetings will be held both on Teams and in a physical conference room at Risser. Links to DAC meetings are available on JusticeNet.

If you ever wish to learn more about DAC or would like to share your thoughts with us, feel free to send an e-mail to diversitycouncil@doj.state.wi.us. 

DOJ Wellness Committee

Are you interested in making a difference in the way you and your colleagues experience wellbeing at DOJ? The Wellness Committee is seeking a new Committee Chair and team members interested in improving the way we communicate wellbeing at DOJ. The Committee as a whole meets quarterly, while workgroups meet monthly or bimonthly. If you’re interested, contact: dojwc@doj.state.wi.us

Crafty Crew

The Crafty Crew is a casual, drop-in gathering intended to provide a creative outlet and mental health break during the Thursday lunch hour.  At the gathering participants are welcome to work on crafting projects, socialize in crafting focused discussions, share personal crafting projects, or seek help or guidance on crafting. The Crafty Crew meets virtually through Microsoft Teams on Thursdays from 12:00-1:00 PM. Links to Crafty Crew Teams meetings are available on JusticeNet.

Partners in Giving

Want to learn more about DOJ's Partners in Giving Campaign? See our progress tracker, upcoming events, and more on our new JusticeNet page!

Happy Halloween!

Take a mental break and see how many Halloween words you can find in this holiday themed word search!

Division of Forensic Sciences (DFS)

The third annual Wisconsin State Crime Lab Symposium took place on October 4-5, 2022, and was a great success! There were 170 attendees over the two day event. Some guests of honor are pictured above, they are therapy dogs from the organization WAGS. Wellness was a topic of focus during the Symposium and these two guests were a big hit. All of the crime labs around the state are planning, or have had, therapy dog visits. 

Virginia Hart Special Recognition Award

Congratulations to Nicole Roehm who received an honorable mention at this year’s Virginia Hart Special Recognition Award ceremony!

The Virginia Hart Award recognizes women in state government who embody a commitment to public service, go above and beyond expected duties, overcome challenges, and demonstrate personal growth. 

Thank you, Nikki, for your hard work and dedication to the Division of Forensic Sciences and DOJ!

Office of Crime Victim Services (OCVS)

OCVS added two new team members recently: Ashley Welak is a grants specialist advanced who comes to DOJ with over 10 years of victim services experience and most recently was the Executive Director of PAVE (Protect. Advocate. Validate. Educate.) in Beaver Dam. Miya Marwood is an LTE in our Crime Victim Compensation and Safe at Home Programs and was previously a SWSDIP intern in OCVS. Miya is a student at UW-Madison and will graduate in December 2022.

The Safe at Home Program had a busy September and enrolled 36 new participants in the program. One participant emailed to express their appreciation and shared that she is “grateful to be a part of beautiful Wisconsin as she feels safe, at home.”

The Victim Resource Center (VRC) staff have been very busy over the past two months, working with the Division of Legal Services (DLS) and the Division of Criminal Investigation as part of several trial teams for jury trials taking place around the state. The Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse initiative continues to keep the VRC staff busy as well.

Throughout September and October, OCVS hosted several trainings for victim service professionals, including the 2022 Victim Witness Nuts & Bolts Virtual Course for victim witness professionals and the Wisconsin Forensic Interviewer Guideline (WiFIG) training. Victim Witness Nuts & Bolts was developed and presented through a collaboration between OCVS and DLS, as well as external VW professionals, prosecutors, and community-based victim service providers. WiFIG offered an intensive, interactive 5-day program to develop learners forensic interview skills and ability to gather accurate information from children experiencing abuse.

The Crime Victim Compensation (CVC) Program staff continue to carry record high case loads and ensure victims receive financial compensation as quickly as possible for expenses that resulted from their victimization. The CVC Team continues to be excited about the addition of two Spanish bi-lingual claims specialists to their team.

The Grants & Training Team partnered with the Bureau of Justice Information and Analysis (BJIA) to streamline federal requirements for OCVS subrecipients. The collaboration resulted in a new process for submitting Subgrant Award Report (SAR) data and ensuring compliance with federal civil rights requirements.

The US Office on Violence Against Women approved a two-year extension on DOJ’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Strengthening & Enhancement Grant to account for the time lost during COVID to provide training and technical assistance to local SARTs.  This project relies on the strong internal collaboration between OCVS, Training and Standards Bureau (TSB), and BJIA as well as the external collaboration with the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA), local sexual assault service providers, law enforcement, sexual assault nurse examiners, and prosecutors.  In addition, the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition will be joining this work as a project partner for the next two years.

As a result of a collaboration between several DOJ divisions, DOJ received a FY22 Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) grant award from the US Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).  This is the sixth SAKI grant from BJA, for a total of $9,481,861 to fund DOJ’s efforts to improve the criminal justice system response to sexual assault around the state. OCVS Director of Victim Services Programs, Keeley Crowley, has been instrumental in bringing this significant amount of funding to Wisconsin.

Erin Welsh from OCVS and Trisha Kilpin from the Office of School Safety (OSS) collaborated with victim service professionals, educators, law enforcement, Office for Victims of Crime, and other leaders within the Waukesha Community to establish the Waukesha United Resiliency Center, which will serve the long-term wellbeing of those impacted by the Waukesha Christmas Parade incident last November. This resiliency center, supportive spaces for victims during the trial, and ongoing mental health services for law enforcement and victim service providers will be supported by an Anti-Terrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) grant administered by OCVS.

Office of School Safety (OSS)

The Office of School Safety (OSS) recently added two new team members: Natalia Marji and Diana DeJonge Resource Center Analysts in the Speak Up Speak Out Resource Center (SUSO). SUSO recently hit a milestone, receiving over 4000 tips regarding concerning behavior in Wisconsin school communities.  Please see the SUSO 2022 annual report.

Jacob Dorff led the OSS team in awarding over 70 digital mapping grants to schools.  Without a grants team in the OSS, Jacob has been successful in teaching the OSS staff how to assist in reviewing and awarding grants in Egrants. Special thank you to all of the team members for completing such important work on a daily basis.

The OSS would like to highlight the collaborative work being done within DOJ with the Bureau of Computing Services, the Bureau of Budget and Finance, the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center, the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Human Resources. Teamwork really does make the dreamwork to keep schools safe in Wisconsin.

Did you know?

Former DOJ Assistant Attorney General Betty Brown became the first Solicitor General for the state of Wisconsin in 1973, which at the time was one of the highest positions ever held by a woman. Betty had a storied career and left her mark on the Wisconsin justice system. Learn more about Betty in an article published in the Dane County Bar Association newsletter.

Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI)

Acting U.S. Attorney Timothy O'Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin presented several DCI employees with awards for outstanding work done over the past several years. Congratulations to Special Agent Ryan Condon for his award related to leadership on the David Kruchten case. Congratulations to Special Agent Theo Indermuehle, Special Agent Wade Beardsley, DFE Tyrel Olsen, and Victim Service Specialist Leeana Liska for their award related to extraordinary work on the McKenzie Johnson case. Congratulations and thank you for your hard work and dedication!

Division of Law Enforcement Services (DLES)

Shelly Sandry represented the Training and Standards Bureau at the International Chiefs of Police conference as a panelist discussing wellness for officers. Shelly shared how the Officer Wellness curriculum got its start in the academy as well as new curriculum, coming this Spring and available to other states, that was created from a nationwide workgroup she worked with.

The Bureau of Justice Information and Analysis (BJIA) and the Bureau of Justice Programs recently added several new team members: Kerrie Fanning is a senior research analyst leading pretrial research work, and Christine Schulz is a research analyst leading deflection and MAT research work. Additionally, Kaley Horvath, a BJIA research analyst, has been promoted to a full time Treatment Alternatives and Diversion data coordinator position within BJIA. Phil Zell and Caitlin Snyder are criminal justice specialists working with the Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) and related discretionary grants, as well as newer state grants.

The first two quarters of 2022 Use-of-Force and Arrest-Related Death data were recently released to the UFAD dashboard. View the dashboard and data here.

DLES would like to acknowledge the Bureau of Computing Services' work to add Lateral Officer Program functionality within WILENET. In the current hiring and retention landscape in law enforcement, this addition to the employment opportunities, which allows officers to search for these specific opportunities within WILNET, will be very impactful and beneficial for recruitment.

Division of Legal Services (DLS)

Legal Services is delighted to have a number of new employees join the division. Three new paralegals joined the team in the Civil Litigation Unit—Melissa Hereth, Jennifer Machotka, and Emelly Miller. The Criminal Appeals Unit also welcomed new paralegals: Julie Bresette and Jessica Falk. Three new assistant attorneys general joined the Criminal Litigation Unit: Lucas Bennewitz, Jim Kraus, and Patrick Winter. The Medicaid Fraud Control and Elder Abuse Unit welcomed Rose Youngblood back to DOJ as an assistant attorney general and deputy unit director. Lastly, Zach Corrigan and Zeke Roth-Reynolds joined the Public Protection Unit as assistant attorneys general.

Photo Contest

With daylight fading earlier each day, fall is the perfect time to capture a sunset photo. What is the city featured in this photo? Please submit your answer to: dojcommunications@doj.state.wi.us

Do you have a fall photo to share? Submit it to dojcommunications@doj.state.wi.us for a chance to be featured in the next newsletter!

Office of Open Government (OOG)

This fall, the OOG has continued to respond to a high volume of public records requests. The OOG also provide training presentations at two State Bar of Wisconsin programs and one program held by the Cities and Villages Mutual Insurance Company.

Division of Management Services (DMS)

New staff members:

• Griffith Randel, BCS
• Lisa Bender, BCS
• Bridget Travnick Oberfoell, BHR

Departing staff members:

• Jayne Swingen, BHR
• Bethany Phillips, BCS
• Iman Snobar, E&I Intern
• Shauna Uecker, BHR
• Terek Taillon, BCS
• Scott Thompson, BHR

Announcements and Updates

• PPE stations have been moved from the elevator areas to the upper cabinets in the kitchenettes on floors 4 – 8.

We want our staff to have some tools and knowledge to stay safe online.

• Think Before You Click - Recognize and Report Phishing: You can help by reporting suspicious email to our security team by using the Phish/Notify button on your email tool bar.
• Update Your Software: Don't delay -- If you see a software update notification, act promptly. Better yet, turn on automatic updates.
• Use Strong Passwords: Use passwords that are long, unique, and randomly generated. Use password managers to generate and remember different, complex passwords for each of your accounts. DOJ provides KEEPER password manager.
• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication: You need more than a password to protect your online accounts, and enabling MFA makes you significantly less likely to get hacked.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact BCS by email at helpdesk@doj.state.wi.us, or by phone at 608-267-5000. 

Drug Take Back Day: Saturday, October 29th

The fall Drug Take Back Day is this Saturday, October 29th. Take a minute to clean out your medicine cabinet and bring your unused or expired medications to a take back event or permanent drug box near you.