A new bill authored by State Sen. Julian Bradley in the Wisconsin Senate aims to reclassify impersonation of law enforcement and emergency personnel to impose stricter penalties, according to the Wisconsin State Senate.
According to the Wisconsin State Legislature’s official website, the bill was described as follows: “classification of the crime of impersonating law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and certain other emergency personnel and providing a penalty”.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, the bill amends Wisconsin statutes to reclassify the crime of impersonating law enforcement officers, firefighters, and certain emergency personnel. Previously categorized as a Class A misdemeanor, this offense is now classified as a Class I felony. The change applies to anyone impersonating a peace officer, firefighter, emergency medical services practitioner, or emergency medical responder with the intent to deceive others into believing they hold those roles. The reclassification introduces stricter legal consequences for such impersonation offenses. The bill is set to take effect upon passage and publication.
The bill was co-authored by Representative Chuck Wichgers (Republican-84th District) Senator Steve L. Nass (Republican-11th District). It was co-sponsored by Representative Elijah R. Behnke (Republican-6th District), Representative Bob G. Donovan (Republican-61st District), and Representative Rick Gundrum (Republican-58th District), along one other co-sponsor.
Julian Bradley has authored or co-authored another 20 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.
Bradley graduated from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse in 2014 with a BS.
Bradley, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 2021 to represent the state’s 28th Senate district, replacing previous state senator Dave Craig.
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.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| SB132 | 03/14/2025 | Classification of the crime of impersonating law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and certain other emergency personnel and providing a penalty |
| SB125 | 03/14/2025 | A nuclear power siting study and time limits for taking final action on certain certificate of public convenience and necessity applications. (FE) |
| SB124 | 03/14/2025 | Creating a board to organize, promote, and host a Wisconsin nuclear power summit. (FE) |
| SB115 | 03/07/2025 | Department of Justice collection and reporting of certain criminal case data. (FE) |
| SB93 | 03/07/2025 | Recommendation to revoke extended supervision, parole, or probation if a person is charged with a crime. (FE) |
| SB61 | 02/21/2025 | Excluding expenditures funded by referenda from shared costs for the purpose of determining equalization aid for school districts. (FE) |
| SB57 | 02/21/2025 | County sheriff assistance with certain federal immigration functions. (FE) |
| SB36 | 02/12/2025 | An income tax exemption for cash tips paid to an employee. (FE) |
| SB35 | 02/12/2025 | Law enforcement and firefighter annuitants in the Wisconsin Retirement System who are rehired by a participating employer. (FE) |
| SB25 | 02/05/2025 | Court-issued criminal complaints in officer-involved deaths |
| SB10 | 02/03/2025 | Access to public high schools for military recruiters |
