Editor’s Note: This story was updated on October 8, 2026, to replace an earlier yearbook photograph of Jaheem Wright with a more recent booking photograph taken when he was 18 years old. The booking photograph was obtained after the original publication of this story.
KENOSHA, Wis. — Two Kenosha police officers received brief suspensions following an internal review into how a firearm went undetected during the arrest of 16-year-old Jaheem Wright, who brought a gun to Indian Trail High School and Academy in December.
Officer LaDonte Pittman, the school resource officer at Indian Trail, was suspended for one day without pay and will receive additional training on search procedures. According to internal documents, Pittman conducted multiple pat-downs of Wright during the course of the investigation but did not locate the handgun, which was later discovered at the police department.
Police Chief Patrick Patton wrote in a Feb. 20 disciplinary memo that Pittman followed protocol in removing and questioning the student after a report of a social media post implying he had a weapon. However, the investigation found the officer did not fully search the student’s front waistband area, where the gun was ultimately recovered.
Patton acknowledged the complexity of working within a school setting, where balancing safety, privacy, and investigative needs presents unique challenges. “The stakes at which you work every day are magnified,” he wrote.
Officer Tanya Kennedy, who has been with the department since 2003, also received a two-day unpaid suspension. She transported Wright to the police department after the arrest but did not conduct a search beforehand — a step required under department policy.
A second internal investigation determined that Kennedy also violated the department’s sick leave policy the following month by leaving her shift early to catch a flight after a vacation request wasn’t approved. Supervisors had advised her of the scheduling issue and offered an alternative, which she declined. Her early departure left the shift temporarily understaffed, according to the report.
Both officers accepted the disciplinary measures and will participate in refresher training coordinated by the department’s training division.
Wright, of Kenosha, was initially charged in juvenile court with felony possession of a dangerous weapon on school grounds and making terrorist threats. A decision is still pending on whether the case will be waived into adult court.
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26 Responses
DEI entered the chat.
Racist
Welcome to Clown College, all you have to be is different and you get a badge and gun, so easy any K Town idiot/drunk can do it, or bar fly therapist/ lot lizard counselor.
Sign up and do it better
I bet those police wish they worked for an employer where not a single employee ever makes an error. Where was that again?
Easy, it’s at a place where an error like that could not result in a kid getting shot! They missed a GUN, they did not put the wrong product on the shelf or the wrong price on an item, they missed a GUN on a kid in a school.. so according to you this is just some small error that can be looked past?
Yeah, things could have gone a lot worse.In this situation.the officers will probably have to watch some training videos on a computer and maybe a training demonstration and they’ll be done with it.
You have two separate stories here. First, two officers missed a gun on a pat down. Before I rush to judgement, I want to know about the gun. A glock 42 might be easier to hide than a glock 23 (google it). Either way, one of the two should have caught it. Tanya is lucky the Pleasant Prairie event didn’t occur. OR even luckier she did not take one to the head.
Some bad PR for the KPD SRO…..maybe a change?
The second story just shows how she played the system. She goes on vacation early, screwing her shift (figuratively) and she still gets off for vacation, then an unpaid day off to get her housework done…..
Just some thoughts.
Not really 2 stories. Kevin is just explaining why she received a 2-day suspension opposed to one-day like the SRO. If he didn’t, people would be asking why!!
Why don’t cops have hand held metal detectors, asking for a friend
They are not very reliable, rather inconsistant.
Lol. What’s not very reliable??? Maybe having it for a backup plan would have been a good option in this case.
What a soft slap on the wrist!!! Is SRO officer a DEI hire because he sure doesn’t have lots of experience on the street?
DEI hires and there’s plenty more where they came from.
Total DEI
We are dealing with the consequences of this b.s.
“…investigation but did not locate the handgun, which was later discovered at the police department.”
WAIT, “at the police department”?? Where in the department? In the Sallyport? In the Detective Bureau? In the holding cell? In the JS booking area? Any of those areas are dangerous, but in the JS booking area, that’s a civilian area. Was the UNARMED civilian put in that much danger?
Patton hasn’t met a black guy he couldn’t wait to promote yet! Even when they don’t meet qualifications or recommended time on the job.
Don’t forget the lack of parental support and what in the fuck is wrong with this POS bringing a gun into the school.
Adult charges yet? Should be
Needs to be in adult court. He brought a gun to school. Stop playing
Love it how its support the police and “thin blue line” bullshit, until the police in question is a Black man… Then the comments talk about clowns and village idiots. Be careful. Your white hoods are showing.
White guilt is a real bitch.
DEI and Lady Cops?
What could go wrong?
Jaheem’s a good boy.
He needs to protect himself.
Y’all rascist!
Piitman abt to get another disciplinary for pulling people over w/o cause. My sons got better eyes than him. Trying to make up for it…eh Ladonte?