# Wisconsin State Patrol : Standard Operating Procedure
> This document may be amended in the future. A notification will be sent in Discord when it happens.
> This document is made for MGVRP. This document is not official.

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# 1.0 PURPOSE & MISSION

### 1.1 Purpose

The Wisconsin State Patrol exists to protect life, property, and roadway safety through the fair and professional enforcement of Wisconsin law.

The purpose of this SOP is to:
* Establish professional and uniform operating standards.
* Ensure consistent enforcement statewide.
* Promote officer safety.
* Maintain public trust.
* Align with LESD oversight and certification requirements.

### 1.2 Mission Statement

The mission of the Wisconsin State Patrol is to:
* Reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
* Enforce traffic and criminal statutes.
* Support local and county law enforcement.
* Conduct proactive highway enforcement.
* Maintain order during emergencies and major incidents.

# 2.0 DEFINITIONS
* Traffic Stop : A temporary detainment of a vehicle and its occupant(s) by law enforcement to investigate a suspected violation of traffic law, or suspected criminal activity.
* Probable Cause : A requirement for law enforcement to have a reasonable belief that a crime has occurred or that evidence of a crime is present, justifying an arrest, search, or warrant.
* Reasonable Suspicion : Specific, articulable facts that suggest criminal activity may be afoot.
* High-Risk / Code 5 Stop : A tactical police procedure for stopping vehicles with potentially dangerous occupants. This involves a coordinated, high force approach to ensure officer and public safety when suspects are believed to be armed or involved in serious crimes.
* Pursuit : An active attempt by law enforcement officers to apprehend a suspect who is willingly using evasive maneuvers to evade arrest.
* Exigent Circumstances / Exigency : A situation that allows officer to bypass the 4th amendment right when immediate action is required to prevent imminent harm, destruction of evidence, or a suspects escape. Exigency covers hot pursuit, domestic violence, fires, and other emergent situations. Troopers may not create exigent situations themselves to bypass the 4th amendment right. Exigency is for impromptu, unforeseen circumstances.
* Emergency Vehicle Operation : A trooper for the Wisconsin State Police operating one of it's vehicles while emergency lights and/or sirens are active.

# 3.0 ORGANIZATION & AUTHORITY

### 3.1 Legal Authority

Troopers derive authority from:
* Wisconsin State Statutes.
* Wisconsin Department Of Transportation.
* Statewide law enforcement powers.

### 3.2 Command Structure
* Superintendent
* Colonel
* Lieutenant Colonel
* Major
* Captain
* Lieutenant
* Sergeant
* Master Trooper
* Senior Trooper
* Trooper
* Trooper (Probationary)
* Cadet

> Upon being accepted into the Wisconsin State Patrol, employees will be ranked as a cadet. A cadet is a recruit for the WSP which has not yet been trained.
### 3.3 Specialized Divisions
There are quite a few specialized divisions within the WSP.

#### 3.3.1 Patrol Operations Division
* Interstate enforcement
* Traffic safety
* OWI enforcement
* Crash investigation
* Pursuits

#### 3.3.2 Criminal Interdiction Unit (CIU)
* Proactive highway interdiction
* Currency seizures
* Stolen vehicles
* Felony traffic stops

#### 3.3.3 Emergency Response Team (ERT)
* High-Risk vehicle stops.
* Barricaded vehicles
* Armed felony stops

> Wisconsin State Patrol ERT is not a full SWAT team like OCSO.

### 3.4 Cadet Training
Once an individual has been formally recruited into the Wisconsin State Patrol, said employee will undergo training as a Cadet before being ranked as a Probationary Trooper. This section is to outline the training that will be held. Cadets will also be assigned an FTO upon being accepted into the WSP.
> [Wisconsin State Patrol : Cadet Training Guide](https://hackmd.io/@b6verly/ry8GbzTXZg)

#### 3.4.1 Section 1
Each cadet's designated FTO with the Wisconsin State Patrol will schedule 1 60 minute, or 2 30 minute sessions. In the appointed session(s), cadets must demonstrate an understanding of the following;
* WSP mission, purpose & jurisdiction
* Traffic stop basics
* Basic Wisconsin statutes
* Pursuit policy
* Use-of-force continuum
* Radio procedure, callsigns, and a basic understanding of public safety brevity codes
* LESD oversight

#### 3.4.2 Section 2
A cadet's designated FTO with the Wisconsin State Patrol will schedule 3 ride-alongs. Each ride-along will be 45-90 minutes.

* Cadets CANNOT arrest solo.
* Cadets CANNOT pursue.
* Cadets CANNOT initiate stops.
* Cadets CAN observe, assist, and talk through decisions in order to show a fluent understanding of Law Enforcement as a core concept.

#### 3.4.3 Section 3
A cadet's designated FTO will sign off on the third phase of training. In this phase of training, cadets will be permitted to patrol alone. This phase will last for 48 hours / 2x 30+m shifts.
* No pursuits unless prior approval is granted.
* No felony stops alone
* All reports will be reviewed by the cadet's designated FTO in a timely manner.

#### 3.4.4 Section 4
After passing phase 3 of the Cadet Training Module, cadets will become probationary troopers. Probationary troopers will become fully fledged troopers after 120 hours / 5x 30+m shifts.

# 4.0 JURISDICTION & RESPONSIBILITY

### 4.1 Primary Jurisdiction
WSP has primary responsibility for:
* Interstate HWs
* US HWs
* State HWs
* Limited-access roadways

### 4.2 Secondary Jurisdiction
WSP may still operate on:
* County roads
* Municipal roads
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When:
* Assisting local agencies
* Conducting traffic enforcement
* Responding to emergencies
* Pursuing fleeing suspects

# 5.0 PATROL OPERATIONS

### 5.1 Patrol Objectives
Troopers shall prioritize:
* Speed enforcement
* Reckless & aggressive driving
* Impaired driving
* Crash investigation
* Visible deterrence patrols

### 5.2 Patrol Conduct
Troopers shall:
* Maintain a professional appearance
* Remain impartial
* Avoid unnecessary escalation
* Use discretion appropriately
* Maintain situational awareness at all times.

# 6.0 TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT

### 6.1 Traffic Stop Initiation
Traffic stops may be iniated when:
* A traffic violation is observed
* Reasonable suspicion exists
* Probable cause exists
Trooper must be able to articulate:
* The observed violation
* Location
* Vehicle description
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Troopers should:
* Upon observing a traffic violation, enable stage 3 lighting, enable the manual siren for 1-2 seconds. If suspect does not pull over within 30 seconds to a minute, accelerates the vehicle, or reasonably appears like they are going to evade, enable the first siren tone, and callout your location, direction of travel, and the vehicle description into dispatch.

### 6.2 Vehicle Positioning
Troopers should:
* Position cruiser one car length away from the stopped vehicle.
* Maintain a parallel line with the stopped vehicle, do not angle your wheels.
* Once cruiser is parked, enable stage 2 lighting, spotlight, and TAs if necessary.
> Image attached below. Stage 2 lighting, spotlight, no TAs since it doesn't affect traffic.

> The proper callout during a Traffic Stop would be "3xx, show me 10-11 with a [vehicle desc], at [location]." You could either include a request for 32(s) in the initial message, or do it later. You can also follow up the initial transmission with "[callsign], vehicle is gonna be [STATE INITIAL] registered, reading [LICENSE PLATE].

> If a trooper is attaching to a traffic stop after a request for backup, they should NEVER park infront of the stopped vehicle. This poses a safety risk to said officer.

### 6.3 Enforcement Options
Troopers may issue:
* Verbal warnings
* Written warnings
* Civil citations
* Mandatory court appearance tickets
* Custodial arrests
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Deciding factors:
* Severity of observed violation
* Roadway type
* Traffic density
* Weather
* Driver behavior
* Prior violations
* Public safety risk

### 6.4 Speed Enforcement Philosophy
Speed enforcement is intended to:
* Deter dangerous behavior
* Prevent crashes
* Identify aggressive drivers

#### 6.4.1 Reckless Driving
Speed does not immediately mean Reckless driving. Reckless driving becomes a possibility when:
* Speed is excessive **AND**
* Driving behavior endangers others

Dangerous driving behavior:
* Unsafe passing
* Wrong-way travel
* Tailgating
* Loss of control
* Intimidating other vehicles / Vehicular Misconduct

#### 6.4.2 Felony Escalation
Conduct may escalate to felony level offenses when:
* There is extreme speed
* Near collisions
* Demonstrated willful & wanton disregard for human life
* Wrong-way travel

### 6.5 Pursuits

#### 6.5.1 Authorization to pursue
Vehicular pursuits may only occur when:
* A violent felony has occurred
* The suspect presents an immediate threat (Exigency)
* The need to apprehend outweighs public risk
* A supervisor has approved the pursuit

> Traffic-only pursuits require a high justification. Should a traffic-only pursuit occur, a supervisor MUST oversee and weigh the public risk vs need to apprehend.
>
#### 6.5.2 Pursuit Conduct
Troopers shall:
* Continuously weigh risk vs necessity
* Communicate clearly in RTO
* Follow supervisory commands
* Avoid zoning out, watch on all sides for civilians passing by

#### 6.5.3 Pursuit Termination
Pursuits shall be terminated when:
* Risk outweighs benefit
* Traffic conditions worsen
* Visual contact is lost
* Supervisor orders termination

### 6.6 High-Risk Stop
A Traffic Stop can become a High-Risk stop at the Trooper's partial discretion.
It is recommended to initiate a High-Risk stop if:
* The vehicle is registered to someone with a warrant
*

# 7.0 USE OF FORCE

### 7.1 U-O-F philosophy
Troopers shall:
* Use only reasonable force for the given circumstances
* Prioritize de-escalation
* Use minimal force
* Document any Use Of Force scenarios

### 7.2 Deadly Force
Deadly force is ONLY authorized when:
* Attempting to prevent imminent death or Great Bodily Injury
* Attempting to stop a suspect posing an immediate threat

> All deadly force incidents are subject to review within the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Law Enforcement Standards Division. All Use-Of-Force forms stating deadly force was used, MUST be forwarded to LESD within 12 hours.

# 9.0 ARREST & DETENTION
### 9.1 Arrest Authority
Troopers may arrest when:
* Probable cause for a felony exists
* A misdemeanor is committed in presence
* Identity cannot be verified
* Court appearance is mandatory
* Public safety requires detention

### 9.2 Release Decisions
Troopers may issue citations in lieu of arrest when:
* Identity has been verified
* No public safety risk exists
* Statute permits release

# 10.0 SEARCH & SEIZURE
### 10.1 Legal Basis
Searches may be conducted under:
* Consent
* Probable cause
* Search incident to arrest (Persons search when arresting)
* Inventory search
Troopers must be able to articulate legal & sound justification.

# 11.0 REPORTS & DOCUMENTATION
### 11.1 Report Writing
Troopers shall:
* Complete accurate and timely reports
* Document decision-making
* Clearly articulate enforcement actions
> The required reports for WSP are:
* Incident Reports
* Use Of Force Reports
### 11.2 Body-Worn cameras.
Troopers shall:
* Activate body cameras during enforcement
* Preserve footage
* Upload required incident footage for LESD review
# 12.0 INTERAGENCY OPERATIONS
### 12.1 Coordination
Wisconsin State Patrol shall coordinate with:
* Outagamie County Sheriff's Office
* Municipal agencies (FVMPD, HPD, APD, ETC)
* Federal agencies when applicable
### 12.2 Primary Agency Determination
Most scenarios:
* WSP is primary on highways, & authorized access roads
* OCSO is primary on rural roads, all inter-city roads, etc
* Jurisdiction may be adjusted if agreed upon between agencies

# 13.0 PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
### 13.1 Standards
Troopers shall:
* Act with integrity
* Avoid bias
* Respect the constitution
* Avoid abuse of authority
### 13.2 Prohibited Conduct
Includes but is not limited to:
* Dishonesty
* Excessive force
* Falsifying reports
* Improper pursuits
* Unprofessional behavior
* Insubordination
* Misuse of emergency lighting
* Excessive force
# 14.0 WISDOJ LAW ENFORCEMENT STANDARDS DIVISION COMPLIANCE
### 14.1
All troopers are subject to:
* LESD certification
* Post-incident review
* Administrative investigation
### 14.2 Cooperation
Troopers MUST fully cooperate with LESD investigations.

# 15.0 Punitive Actions
Violations of this SOP may result in the following actions:
* Verbal Reprimand
* Written Reprimand
* Mandatory Retraining
* Permanent Strike
* Suspension
* Referral to WisDOJ:LESD / Court

# 16.0

# 17.0 Signatures

> Benjamin Lancaster // Wisconsin Department of Justice : Law Enforcement Standards | Director
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> Jake R. // Wisconsin Department Of Justice : Law Enforcement Standards
| Deputy Director
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> Klaus Schneider // Wisconsin State Patrol
| Superintendent