Milwaukee hearing finds DEC employee violated CJIS access rules; panel moves to punishment phase

A disciplinary hearing panel on Oct. 14, 2025 unanimously found that Erica Means, a Department of Emergency Communications operator, violated Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) access policies by using a work computer on an off day to look up criminal-justice database information for personal reasons.

The finding came after testimony from Sergeant Latanya Diedrich of the Milwaukee Police Department Internal Affairs Division, director Tony Bueno of the Department of Emergency Communications (DEC), and Means herself. Hearing examiner Dennis Maroney announced the panel's unanimous Phase 1 decision and directed the hearing to Phase 2 to consider discipline.

Why it matters: CJIS access ties the city's emergency communications center to federal and law-enforcement information systems. DEC Director Tony Bueno told the panel that misuse of CJIS systems threatens the department's continued authorized access and could "cripple the DEC entirely" if federal rules are violated.

During an initial examination, Deputy City Attorney Robin Pedersen told the panel he expected a "relatively straightforward case," saying the city's evidence included system activity logs and supervisory reports. Sergeant Diedrich summarized the investigation: her review of system keystroke logs, building key-card entries and records in the department's…