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Kenosha commission dismisses complaint, records personnel actions and honors officers with lifesaving awards
Summary
At its Oct. 21 meeting the Kenosha Police and Fire Commission dismissed an internal complaint, received and filed multiple personnel actions, and presented lifesaving awards to five police officers for July and August incidents.
The Kenosha Police and Fire Commission dismissed a complaint against a detective, recorded two probationary separations and an investigative filing, and honored five police officers with lifesaving awards at its Oct. 21 meeting in Kenosha.
The commission voted to dismiss the complaint filed by Octavia Winters against Detective Krakowski, citing item 16, section 16 of the commission’s guidelines and concluding that, based on the investigation, “more likely than not, no misconduct was committed” and further investigation or a full commission hearing was unlikely to change that finding. The commission then instructed legal counsel to send a letter to the complainant informing her of the decision.
The meeting also recorded administrative actions: the commission received and filed the notice of termination of probationary firefighter Hayden Hart effective Sept. 14, 2025, and the notice of termination of probationary police officer Leah Colon effective Sept. 16, 2025. The commission also received and filed an investigative report for claims submitted by Octavia Winters. Each of those motions was moved, seconded, and approved by voice vote during the open meeting.
Separately, commissioners presented lifesaving awards to Kenosha police officers Alex Van Vogelen, James Carraway, Oscar Flores, Dante Renzoni and Kristen Peters for two separate incidents earlier in 2025. The commission described a July 2, 2025 incident in which an officer located an unconscious man in a basement stairwell at a residence on Second Avenue, moved him to a flat surface, and coordinated CPR and department medical response; the man was intubated, placed in intensive care, and was discharged by July 9, 2025. The commission credited the officer’s rapid actions with saving the man’s life.
Commissioners also recounted an Aug. 30, 2025, incident at the Tipsy Kiwi Tavern on Fifth Street, when officers responding to a disturbance found a 53-year-old man unresponsive and performed CPR and AED application until Kenosha Fire Department personnel took over; physicians later confirmed that officers’ actions were lifesaving. Sergeant McCarrie and attending medical staff were cited in the meeting record for confirming the medical outcomes.
During a round of comments after the awards, the chief said the presentations “illustrate our commitment to excellence” and praised the departments’ cross-training, adding that the awards reflect the city’s investment in training and cooperation between the Kenosha Police Department and Kenosha Fire Department. Commissioners and other officials offered congratulations to the officers.
Procedural business handled at the meeting included approval of the Sept. 16, 2025, meeting minutes and receipt and filing of the September police and fire department reports. The commission announced its next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025.
The commission convened a closed session to review the Octavia Winters complaint and returned to open session to announce the dismissal and the directive to have legal counsel notify the complainant.
