Kenosha police oversight panel refers resident's complaint to city police, approves several personnel actions

The Kenosha Police and Fire Commission on Aug. 19 voted to refer a complaint filed by resident Artavia Winters to the Kenosha Police Department for investigation after reviewing the matter in closed session.

Winters, who said she is a Kenosha resident and a mother, told the commission during public comment that she has submitted “legal documents, admissions from perpetrators, and clear evidence of custodial interference and other crimes” to the department and that she believes those reports were ignored. “When officers fail to enforce court orders or ignore admitted violations of custody rights, they are not failing me. They are failing my child and failing every family who depends on law enforcement to keep them safe,” Winters said.

The referral followed a closed-session review of Winters’s complaint. Upon returning to open session, the commission made and carried a motion to send Winters’s complaint to the police department “for investigation.” The motion passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: The Police and Fire Commission serves as a civilian oversight body for department matters the commission is authorized to receive and act on. By referring Winters’s complaint to the police department for investigation, the commission signaled it saw sufficient cause to request departmental fact-finding rather than dismissing the matter from the public docket.

The commission also handled routine personnel business. It received and filed several notices and reports by voice vote: the minutes of the July 15, 2025, meeting; the police and fire department reports for July; the notice of dismissal of a complaint filed by Trayvon Dawn Vaughn on May 13, 2025; a notice of termination for officer Corina Langdon effective July 14, 2025; and a resignation notice for officer Cody Williams effective Aug. 14, 2025. The commission also voted to receive and file the complaint submitted by Artavia Winters earlier in the meeting prior to the closed-session review.

Appointments: The commission approved three probationary appointments. Gustavo Arellano was appointed to probationary crime prevention officer effective Sept. 1, 2025. According to the announcement, Arellano has served with the Kenosha Police Department since 2016, is a certified Crisis Intervention Team officer, helped develop a special-needs registry and the department’s youth academy, and is bilingual in Spanish. The commission also approved Zachary Patterson and Natasha Wagner as probationary police officers, both effective Aug. 20, 2025. Patterson’s background was described as including an associate degree in criminal justice, prior tactical and emergency medical instructor experience, and multiple lifesaving awards. Wagner was described as having prior law enforcement experience including service as a deputy and as a patrol officer in neighboring departments.

Commissioners and staff praised the new appointees during the meeting and took photographs before briefly recessing and reconvening for the closed session.

Next steps and scheduling: The commission said it will rely on the Kenosha Police Department’s investigation into Winters’s complaint and the department’s subsequent reporting back to the commission as appropriate. The commission’s next regular meeting was scheduled for Sept. 16, 2025.

Ending note: During public comment Winters urged the commission to “open an investigation into the Kenosha Police Department handling of these matters” and asked the panel to “take the steps necessary to restore the public trust in this department.”