WI CRIME is a multimedia public safety information network providing breaking and in-depth coverage around Wisconsin.
Through several social media channels, sophisticated media production, and years of collaborative research and reporting experience, WI CRIME is proud to provide the exclusive, high-quality content you need, wherever you are.
Established in 2018 as a small social media group focused on reporting information from police, EMS and fire department dispatch audio, our parent group MN CRIME now reaches tens of thousands of people in Minnesota and around the country each week. In 2023, we expanded to Wisconsin, building the same deep reporting network in this state that we've been known for in Minnesota.
Some things we believe in:
Government transparency and accountability
While legitimate security concerns make necessary some forms of dispatch audio encryption, law enforcement agencies in Minnesota have crept further and further toward a complete citizen blackout of public safety scanner transmissions.
We believe access to certain channels for public monitoring helps keep the public safe and increases accountability. Jurisdictions can use encrypted channels while leaving parts of their department airwaves open. However, in more and more counties each year, citizens are losing their access to vital information in a time it’s needed most.
Robust funding for public safety
There are fundamental and significant changes to be made to policing in America, problems that have been festering for decades. As native Minnesotans, we were shocked to watch the disturbing death of George Floyd at the knee of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. We were also shocked at the aftermath, with a swath of south Minneapolis torched and parts of the Twin Cities resembling an occupied war zone.
There is a middle ground between a militarized state of constant surveillance and the complete abolition of law enforcement. Vocal cries for defunding or reimagining public safety have been met by proposals from city leaders that are nonsensical at best and life-threatening at worst.
In general, police are tasked with far too many responsibilities in their day-to-day beats. They need more funding and support, not less. Officers should be assisted by embedded mental health care professionals, strengthened city infrastructure to deal with non-emergencies and a renewed focus on drug treatment for all who want it.
Fairness, accuracy and responsibility
With more and more of our lives lived online and disinformation continuing to flourish, it’s harder than ever to know the truth. We aim to provide our readers, listeners and watchers with first-hand accounts of our communities’ critical events and the documentation to back up our reporting, like scanner audio clips and court documents.
Thanks for being here with us at WI CRIME. We appreciate you taking the time to read more about the team. If you have questions, comments, suggestions, or if you think you would be an excellent addition to the team, please don’t hesitate to use the contact form or email us anytime.