See What Laws Were Passed In Wisconsin In 2021

WISCONSIN — The Wisconsin Legislature passed a total of 118 new laws in 2021, including ones that require police departments to disclose their use-of-force policies and that deal with a backlog of sexual assault kits.

The following were five laws that passed this year in the Badger State.

Act 48: Prohibiting Law Enforcement From Using Chokeholds

The law prohibits sheriffs, police chiefs and other law enforcement managers from authorizing the use of chokeholds in their agency's use-of-force policy. A chokehold is a move to apply pressure to someone's throat, windpipe or carotid artery to stop breathing or blood flow. Law enforcement officers were permitted to use the move only in "life-threatening situations or in self-defense," according to the law.

Act 49: Public Access To Law Enforcement Use-Of-Force Policies

Sheriffs, police chiefs and other people in charge of law enforcement agencies must make public their standards for use of force. An agency must post its policy online and make it easy to request a copy.

Act 116: Sexual Assault Kits Must Be Sent To The State Crime Lab

The new law requires health care professionals to notify law enforcement within 24 hours if they collect evidence from a victim of sexual assault. Law enforcement agencies must retrieve the kit within 72 hours and send it to the state crime lab within 14 days. The kit must be kept for 10 years, whether or not a victim decides to report an assault.

See Also: New Law Will Stop Backlog Of Sexual Assault Kits In Wisconsin

Act 115: Cell Phone Use Near Car Crash Sites

No Wisconsinite can drive a car while using a phone for reasons other than communicating when driving by a construction area or within 500 feet of an emergency roadside response. People who use a phone to film a crash site risk causing another collision, State Rep. Jesse James (R-Altoona) told WEAU.

Act 82: Employment Records Check For Police Officers

The law allows law enforcement agencies to review employment records for officer candidates and to decertify any officer who broke agency rules, falsified information or was convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor. A candidate will have to sign a waiver that allows the agency access employment records.