“The police actions taken against George Floyd are terrifying. People are rightly upset that a police officer violated both the law and his oath of office in taking Mr. Floyd’s life.

“Both racism, and riots and looting in opposition to racism, are evil. Peaceful protests, and
bringing attention to racism is important, and one of America’s founding principles. We all
should remember that for every rioter there are hundreds of peaceful protestors. Just as we should all remember that for every racist action by a police officer, there are hundreds of police officers standing with the protestors.

“Assembly Bill 1012 and Senate Bill 892 were clearly written by liberal activists who have never served with law enforcement, and apparently never even talked or listened to them.
Micromanaging the force continuum in a state statute written by the most liberal Democrats in the Capitol won’t make things better and will likely make it worse.

“Governor Evers knows I have been working with law enforcement, activists and legal experts on a new way to investigate and prevent deaths in police custody. In the coming weeks and months, I hope to have something that all of Wisconsin can support that will hopefully prevent these horrific events in the future.

“If Governor Evers wants to have a productive conversation about the use of force, and
preventing these horrific acts, he knows my number. After two years, Governor Evers should know that dictating to the legislature is neither productive nor bipartisan. His tactics only serve to divide at a time we should be coming together.”

Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) serves as the Chair of Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety. Prior to elective office, Wanggaard served nearly 30 years as a police officer for the Racine Police Department before he was forced to retire while injured in the line of duty.

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