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Bills from the 2019–20 session

Senate Bill 892

Law enforcement agency policies on the use of force. (FE)

Stopped in committee

It never got a ⁠, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Mar 12, 2020

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Senate vote, not reached

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Jun 10, 2020: “Representative Zamarripa added as a cosponsor”

It never got a hearing in the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill requires each law enforcement agency to ensure that its publicly available policy on the use of force incorporates the following principles: that the primary duty of all law enforcement is to preserve the life of all individuals; that deadly force is to be used only as the last resort; that officers should use skills and tactics that minimize the likelihood that force will become necessary; that, if officers must use physical force, it should be the least amount of force necessary to safely address the threat; and that law enforcement officers must take reasonable action to stop or prevent any unreasonable use of force by their colleagues. This bill also prohibits disciplining a law enforcement officer for reporting a violation of a law enforcement agency's policy regarding the use of force.

This bill also requires the Law Enforcement Standards Board to develop a model use of force policy for law enforcement agencies. The model policy must address interactions with individuals with mental disorders, alcohol or drug problems, dementia disorders, and developmental disabilities; limit the use of force against vulnerable populations; and include other best practices that LESB identifies.

Who's behind it

4 senators are its ⁠. All 4 are Democrats.

12 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 16 names

Authors (4)

Signed on in support (12)

What happened

  1. Jun 3, 2020 to Jun 10, 2020

    3 more representatives and 2 senators signed on in support.

  2. Apr 1, 2020

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  3. Mar 12, 2020

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.

  4. Mar 12, 2020

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Mar 12, 2020 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Johnson, L. Taylor, Risser and Larson; cosponsored by Representatives C. Taylor, Bowen, Goyke, Neubauer, Anderson, Brostoff and Fields

  2. Mar 12, 2020 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety

  3. Apr 1, 2020 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

  4. Jun 3, 2020 · Senate

    Senator Carpenter added as a coauthor

  5. Jun 5, 2020 · Senate

    Senator Smith added as a coauthor

  6. Jun 5, 2020 · Senate

    Representative Shankland added as a cosponsor

  7. Jun 8, 2020 · Senate

    Representative Spreitzer added as a cosponsor

  8. Jun 10, 2020 · Senate

    Representative Zamarripa added as a cosponsor

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor