MADISON, Wis. – Today, Attorney General Brad Schimel announced the promotion of Dennis J. Fortunato to Director of the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Training and Standards Bureau (T&S).
“Dennis Fortunato has been a lifelong public servant and is viewed by his law enforcement peers as knowledgeable and hard-working,” said Attorney General Schimel. “I’m excited to use Dennis’ decades of experience, many of those developing and creating agency policies and procedures, to make Wisconsin’s law enforcement community stronger through up-to-date best practices and new tactics.”
Fortunato had been the deputy director of DOJ’s Crime Information Bureau (CIB) since spring 2012, and served as a law enforcement officer for more than three decades in the Fond du Lac Police Department, eventually being promoted to the rank of major/assistant chief. A 2001 graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, Fortunato earned a B.S. from Marian University and an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University.
T&S works closely with criminal justice partners to coordinate and implement specialized training for Wisconsin law enforcement, jail and secure detention officers. The Certification and Curriculum program section of the bureau assists the Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB) in promoting and supporting quality training and in establishing and maintaining professional standards. The Justice Programs section of the bureau facilitates the implementation of effective, data driven criminal justice and juvenile justice policies and practices that maximize justice and the safety of the public through the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Commission.
The former director of T&S, Michael Akselrud, will be taking on a new supervisory role in the firearms unit in CIB.
