Rep. Duchow of Wisconsin Assembly authors bill on court-issued criminal complaints in officer-involved deaths

Cindi Duchow, Wisconsin State Representative for 97th District | https://www.facebook.com

By B. E. Jewell

Feb 18, 2025

The new bill authored by State Rep. Duchow seeks to regulate the issuance of criminal complaints when district attorneys decline to prosecute law enforcement officers involved in deaths, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature's official website, the bill was described as follows: "court-issued criminal complaints in officer-involved deaths".

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, the bill amends existing statutes regarding court-issued criminal complaints in cases of officer-involved deaths, where a law enforcement officer's actions directly result in a death. If a district attorney decides not to prosecute the officer, the bill stipulates that a court cannot proceed with issuing a criminal complaint unless new or unused evidence is presented. The intention appears to be to ensure that officers are not subjected to complaints in the absence of new evidence once a district attorney has decided not to prosecute. The bill specifies that these changes are applicable to district attorney determinations made starting on the effective date of the act.

The bill was co-authored by Senator Rob Hutton (Republican-5th District), Representative David Armstrong (Republican-67th District), Representative Elijah R. Behnke (Republican-6th District), Representative Robert Brooks (Republican-59th District), Representative Barbara Dittrich (Republican-99th District). It was co-sponsored by Senator Julian Bradley (Republican-28th District), Senator Dan Feyen (Republican-20th District), and Senator Jesse L. James (Republican-23rd District), along 13 other co-sponsors.

Cindi Duchow has co-authored or authored another six bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.

Duchow graduated from the University of Wisconsin.

Duchow, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2025 to represent the state's 97th Assembly district, replacing previous state representative Scott Allen.

In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.

Bills Introduced by Cindi Duchow in Wisconsin Assembly During 2025 Regular Session