A Brave New World of Journalism
Criminal complaints offer a great first step toward public scrutiny of the criminal justice system in Winnebago County, Wis. Complaints contain incident reports from various law enforcement agencies, and elected judges rely on these documents when deciding whether probable cause sufficiently links a defendant to an alleged crime. These documents describe how law enforcement agencies and their street-level bureaucrats interact with members of the public.
Access to criminal complaints largely remains buried within government buildings, however. Obtaining a personal copy costs $1.25 per page, thanks to state law. Many counties limit distribution to hard copies, which require mailing or local pick up at the clerk of courts office. That's where this site steps in.
Winnebago County Warrior will sell digital copies of criminal complaint details for misdemeanor and felony cases filed in Winnebago County Circuit Court (Wisconsin). Reports will cost $1 per page.
For a point of reference, the details from a single case will typically result in a file 2-10 pages long. An example of a report's format is available on this site's "Order" page.
Additionally, using journalistic standards for judging newsworthiness, Winnebago County Warrior will announce on the "Blog" page when certain types of reports become available through this site. Think of these alerts as newspaper headlines that readers use to gauge their interest before picking up a copy. Posts will briefly summarize the nature of a criminal case and the people/agencies mentioned in the complaint. Cases featured in this way will generally fall into at least one of four decidedly American categories:
Winnebago County Warrior plans to eventually offer additional services revolving around criminal complaint data. Check this site often to stay abreast of new service rollouts and criminal justice news affecting Winnebago County.
Access to criminal complaints largely remains buried within government buildings, however. Obtaining a personal copy costs $1.25 per page, thanks to state law. Many counties limit distribution to hard copies, which require mailing or local pick up at the clerk of courts office. That's where this site steps in.
Winnebago County Warrior will sell digital copies of criminal complaint details for misdemeanor and felony cases filed in Winnebago County Circuit Court (Wisconsin). Reports will cost $1 per page.
For a point of reference, the details from a single case will typically result in a file 2-10 pages long. An example of a report's format is available on this site's "Order" page.
Additionally, using journalistic standards for judging newsworthiness, Winnebago County Warrior will announce on the "Blog" page when certain types of reports become available through this site. Think of these alerts as newspaper headlines that readers use to gauge their interest before picking up a copy. Posts will briefly summarize the nature of a criminal case and the people/agencies mentioned in the complaint. Cases featured in this way will generally fall into at least one of four decidedly American categories:
- Sex — sexual conduct
- Drugs — not only illegal drugs, but also restricted ones such as alcohol
- "Rock" — officers subduing others via force, lethally or non-lethally
- "Roll" — lifestyle/civil rights concerns, such as controversial law enforcement tactics
Winnebago County Warrior plans to eventually offer additional services revolving around criminal complaint data. Check this site often to stay abreast of new service rollouts and criminal justice news affecting Winnebago County.