[Waukesha, Wis.] — Ryan Windorff, president of the Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police, penned a column over the weekend in the Wisconsin State Journal on why law enforcement is supporting Rebecca Kleefisch’s campaign for Wisconsin governor.
Read the full column in the Wisconsin State Journal here or find excerpts below.
Rebecca Kleefisch will add 1,000 officers, fight light sentences
Ryan Windorff
Wisconsin State Journal
May 21, 2022
I have been in law enforcement for over a decade and am proud to represent and advocate for my fellow brothers and sisters in blue as their duly elected Wisconsin Fraternal Order of Police president. Our members overwhelmingly voted to endorse Republican candidate for governor Rebecca Kleefisch in late 2021. I believe this support is largely based on Kleefisch’s genuine and vocal support of law enforcement.
More than any other candidate, Kleefisch engages in outreach to understand the professional and personal issues facing law enforcement across our state. She actively strives to coordinate efforts with law enforcement to come up with effective solutions to decrease crime in our communities. She has outlined specific, action-based plans to utilize the powers of the governor’s office to better equip law enforcement to combat crime in our communities.
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Gov. Tony Evers, the incumbent, is quick to engage in inflammatory rhetoric that reinforces national media narratives, such as his reaction to the officer-involved shooting in Kenosha. He is the first to publicly editorialize certain events and is silent when it comes to vocalizing support for the men and women who keep him, his family, our state Capitol and communities across Wisconsin safe.
Kleefisch has cultivated a number of strategies after measured consideration of the facts and consultation with all interested parties. She has announced her plan to support the addition of at least 1,000 more law enforcement officers when she becomes governor. This is a plan that will address the crime wave sweeping our state because of the “defund the police” movement.
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Kleefisch has assured the members of the Wisconsin FOP that, if elected governor, she will stand against rogue prosecutors who recommend low or no bail for repeat violent offenders. She has pledged to employ the State Patrol to help local police in high-crime areas. She has specifically indicated she will work to fight light sentencing policies and other mechanisms that perpetuate the revolving door of crime.
Kleefisch is the choice of Wisconsin’s law enforcement community because she has our back, she listens, and she has a plan to help us restore the safety of our communities.
