Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Police and Fire Commission Meeting - December 17, 2025

Common Council & City Boards — Wednesday, December 17, 2025

BodyFitchburg, Wisconsin

SessionCommon Council & City Boards

DateWednesday, December 17, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 34:31

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Hi, I'm Jeremy Crosby.

0:01

And I'm Nick Bouchet.

0:02

We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city, Talking Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2

0:06

Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Pittsburgh.

0:12

Find

Speaker 1

0:12

Talking Fitzburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web.

0:18

Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service.

Speaker 2

0:23

This is your city.

0:24

Keep up with Talking Fitzburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors.

Speaker 3

0:30

Want to know what's happening in your city?

0:32

Get notify me messages from the city of Fitchburg.

0:35

Visit Fitchburg WI.gov on your computer or mobile device and select the big Notify Me button on the left.

0:41

Enter your email and or phone number, whichever is best for you to get notifications.

0:46

Scroll down the list and select all the topics you're interested in to receive email or text messages about.

0:51

You'll be notified every time one of your topics is updated.

0:54

Sign up for Notify Me.

0:56

One more way to keep up with your Pittsburgh government.

Speaker 4

1:23

Welcome to the December 17th, 2025 meeting of the police and fire commission.

Unassigned speaker

1:28

First order on the agenda is call to order.

Speaker 4

1:32

Second item on the agenda is Pledge of Allegiance.

1:34

Please stand.

Speaker 5

1:45

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Speaker 4

2:30

Next item on the agenda number four, public appearances for non-agenda items.

2:35

We have someone from the public tonight that would like to make some comments.

2:39

Mr.

2:39

Anderson.

2:40

Please Andrus, uh sit here.

2:42

Come to the table.

2:43

Oh, sounds good.

Speaker 6

2:45

I'm uh uh ad lib list, folks.

2:48

Uh my name is John Edwards.

2:50

That's with an age, last name, ENDRES.

2:53

I'll try and keep this as five minutes okay.

Speaker 4

2:56

That's fine.

Speaker 6

2:57

Okay.

2:58

Um I just want to let you know I have uh a mental health illness.

3:03

Uh it involves uh memory issues, and it's gotten worse actually over the last like 10 years.

3:10

Um and unfortunately, I was in Fitchburg, just about a mile down this the street here on Fish Hatchery when I was told uh you got colon cancer and I took it pretty well, you guys, and uh

Unassigned speaker

3:22

uh

Speaker 6

3:22

that was with Group Health Cooperative of South Central, Wisconsin.

Unassigned speaker

3:26

I

Speaker 6

3:26

found out that was on April Fool's Day of all days, 2016, and uh I found out about eight weeks later.

3:33

I started researching, you know, because there were just reasons why I had to be concerned about how authentic that suspicion uh actually was.

Unassigned speaker

3:44

And

Speaker 6

3:44

I played uh my recording of the event to someone who said, That's not funny.

3:51

I'm not getting involved in your lawsuit.

Unassigned speaker

3:54

And

Speaker 6

3:54

it's then that I kind of realized holy cow, I've got group health cooperative suggesting colon cancer.

4:00

Well, it's not plausible.

4:02

Well, let me just jump forward then uh to uh is it Matt Leahy or I did ask Matt Lehay in 2018 to conduct an investigation.

4:16

A number of things happened between 2016 and 2018 in terms of the court, Dane County court.

4:23

And it involved Jeff Wisley, who's now retired.

4:27

Uh, who's not here tonight, obviously.

4:29

But

Unassigned speaker

4:30

I

Speaker 6

4:30

eventually asked Matt Leahy, I was actually directed to him.

4:33

I said, would you please check into this?

4:36

And Matt told me, well, I need a release of information.

4:40

And uh

Unassigned speaker

4:42

that

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural██████████████████████████████████34%

Public Safety██████████████14%

Mental Health Awareness████████████12%

Fire Department██████████10%

Personnel Matters██████████10%

Police Department█████████9%

Youth Programs██████6%

Legal Affairs█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Police and Fire Commission Meeting - December 17, 2025

The Fitchburg Police and Fire Commission met on December 17, 2025, to hear public comments, receive staffing updates from both departments, discuss upcoming events, and conduct closed-session personnel actions. The meeting included unanimous approvals of probationary status changes, conditional job offers, promotions, and eligibility lists.

Public Comments & Testimony

John Edwards (member of the public) addressed the commission, sharing that he has a mental health illness involving memory issues. He described a 2016 colon cancer diagnosis from Group Health Cooperative that he questioned, subsequent interactions with police and city staff (including retired officer Jeff Wisley and current staff Matt Leahy and Sarah), and alleged that his attempts to communicate with the commission had been impeded. He requested an open line of communication with the commission to help resolve what he called an "absolute mess" created by individuals he questioned the honesty of. He also mentioned having been arrested despite no prior record and currently lacking healthcare. The commission thanked him for his comments.

Discussion Items

Police Department Staffing Report: Presented by a representative (likely Deputy Chief or similar). Noted the recent reorganization from 55 to 54 authorized sworn positions and a sergeant promotional process conducted the prior week. Current vacancies listed as five, with no officers in field training or on restricted leave/duty. The report indicated positive trends.
Monthly Activity Update (November): A quieter month compared to November 2024, with 200–300 fewer traffic stops. Alternative side parking citations also varied. Events included Stuff the Squad and the Turkey Derby on Thanksgiving.
Fire Department Staffing Report: Presented by the Fire Chief. Responses were slower; false fire alarms improved due to inspections. November onboarding included two battalion chiefs and eight paid-on-call firefighters (most still completing training). Overtime remained high but lower than the prior year. One retirement anticipated this month; four mandatory details in November, with more expected in December.
Fire Hydrant Clearing: Discussion of the city's request for citizens to maintain a three-foot radius around hydrants; various departments assist when needed.
Announcements:
- Police participated in the Dane County Shop with a Cop event (Dec. 7) and the annual food drive (donation to Allied Food Pantry).
- New police recruit Paul Monniak will start the Madison College academy on January 12, 2025 (720-hour program, graduation around mid-May), filling one of five vacancies.
- City Lights event moved indoors to Fire Station One due to cold weather; considered a success.
- Bark at the Bonfire event (Fitchburg Law Enforcement Foundation) raised funds for the K9 unit and potential technology for the new police facility (planned spring 2027).
- Youth Government Days (August 2025, ages 6–8th grade) will include a police facility tour; registration filled up quickly this year; free for all nearby communities.
- A Citizens Academy for kids (two age groups) is planned for next year, likely a few Saturdays.
Closed Session Motions and Open Session Actions:
- Police: Motion to remove probationary status on Officer Lequie and Officer Chisholm (passed unanimously). Motion to make conditional offers of employment for police officer positions (passed unanimously).
- Fire: Motion to approve Garrett Christian's promotion to Fire Lieutenant (passed unanimously). Motion to establish a lieutenant eligibility list (passed unanimously). Motion to approve hiring off the existing POx Battalion Chief eligibility list if needed (passed unanimously). Motion to approve starting a full-time open competitive battalion chief recruitment in case of a vacancy (passed unanimously).

Key Outcomes

Unanimous approval to remove probationary status for two police officers.
Unanimous approval to make conditional offers of employment for police officer positions.
Unanimous approval of Garrett Christian's promotion to Fire Lieutenant.
Unanimous approval to establish a lieutenant eligibility list.
Unanimous approval to hire off the existing POx Battalion Chief eligibility list if needed.
Unanimous approval to start a full-time battalion chief recruitment process for potential vacancies.
All motions were passed without recorded opposition.

Meeting Transcript

Hi, I'm Jeremy Crosby. And I'm Nick Bouchet. We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city, Talking Pittsburgh. Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Pittsburgh. Find Talking Fitzburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web. Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service. This is your city. Keep up with Talking Fitzburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors. Want to know what's happening in your city? Get notify me messages from the city of Fitchburg. Visit Fitchburg WI.gov on your computer or mobile device and select the big Notify Me button on the left. Enter your email and or phone number, whichever is best for you to get notifications. Scroll down the list and select all the topics you're interested in to receive email or text messages about. You'll be notified every time one of your topics is updated. Sign up for Notify Me. One more way to keep up with your Pittsburgh government. Welcome to the December 17th, 2025 meeting of the police and fire commission. First order on the agenda is call to order. Second item on the agenda is Pledge of Allegiance. Please stand. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Next item on the agenda number four, public appearances for non-agenda items. We have someone from the public tonight that would like to make some comments. Mr. Anderson. Please Andrus, uh sit here. Come to the table. Oh, sounds good. I'm uh uh ad lib list, folks. Uh my name is John Edwards. That's with an age, last name, ENDRES. I'll try and keep this as five minutes okay. That's fine. Okay. Um I just want to let you know I have uh a mental health illness. Uh it involves uh memory issues, and it's gotten worse actually over the last like 10 years. Um and unfortunately, I was in Fitchburg, just about a mile down this the street here on Fish Hatchery when I was told uh you got colon cancer and I took it pretty well, you guys, and uh uh that was with Group Health Cooperative of South Central, Wisconsin. I found out that was on April Fool's Day of all days, 2016, and uh I found out about eight weeks later. I started researching, you know, because there were just reasons why I had to be concerned about how authentic that suspicion uh actually was. And I played uh my recording of the event to someone who said, That's not funny. I'm not getting involved in your lawsuit. And it's then that I kind of realized holy cow, I've got group health cooperative suggesting colon cancer. Well, it's not plausible. Well, let me just jump forward then uh to uh is it Matt Leahy or I did ask Matt Lehay in 2018 to conduct an investigation.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com