(Photo by Nathan DeBruin, Kenosha County Eye)
KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. – A long-awaited emergency readiness assessment, commissioned by the Kenosha County Board, paints a deeply critical picture of how local officials—most of whom are no longer in office—responded to the violent riots that erupted after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in August 2020.
The report, prepared by national consulting firm Jensen Hughes, found that senior leadership during the crisis—namely then-Sheriff David Beth, then-County Executive Jim Kreuser, and then-Mayor John Antaramian—left the county unprepared and directionless during one of the most high-profile emergencies in Kenosha’s history.
While the consultants stopped short of naming individuals, the report strongly implies that those at the top failed to provide coherent leadership, instead crediting middle managers for salvaging the situation. “While our topical review of the civil unrest in Kenosha County raised questions regarding some senior-level leadership decisions, we found instances suggesting intuitive thought and sound decision-making had occurred,” the report states. “However, when we asked about the processes that supported those actions, we were told repeatedly they do not know specifically how the successes experienced occurred – but that some good leaders in middle management positions were ultimately responsible.”
Those findings highlight a pattern of improvisation and confusion at the highest levels. Among the report’s most pointed revelations:
- No after-action report was ever completed following the riots. Internal department debriefs were held, but no countywide review was undertaken at the time.
- Incident Action Plans (IAPs)—a standard requirement in emergency response—were not completed until several days into the riots, and only after state emergency officials arrived to assist.
- The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was not activated until late, and even then was poorly organized and not maintained in a ready state.
- Communications broke down, leaving local elected officials, business owners, and residents scrambling for accurate information and relying on social media.
- There was widespread confusion about who had the authority to request mutual aid or activate the National Guard.
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One passage from the report suggests that former Sheriff Beth abdicated responsibility by allowing his chief deputy to take over during the crisis: “Sheriff: As the head of the department, the sheriff will determine his placement and what responsibilities he wishes to address.” Meanwhile, the Emergency Management Director was instructed to notify the chief deputy—not the sheriff—raising further questions about the chain of command. “Why isn’t the sheriff notified right away?” the report seems to ask implicitly.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
County Board Supervisor David Geertsen, a conservative who served as Kenosha County’s chief financial officer and worked for the County from 1985 to 2018, spearheaded the push to commission the $100,000 study. Speaking with Kenosha County Eye on Wednesday, Geertsen said he was frustrated this was not done years ago.
“Jensen Hughes has handled many serious incidents around the country. This was something that the government must have done to secure the safety of our residents,” Geertsen said. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Geertsen, who led the initiative when conservatives still held a majority on the County Board, thanked the current county executive and sheriff, as well as the then-board for supporting the study. “I think we will do a better job in the future,” he said. “This will pay dividends.”
City refused to participate; Supervisor Geertsen says study will help county ‘do a better job in the future’
The City of Kenosha, under then-Mayor John Antaramian, declined to participate in the study altogether. The report notes that input from the city’s leadership was “limited,” with consultants forced to rely on secondhand information and public records instead of direct interviews.
In a striking coincidence—or perhaps not—all of the major figures in office during the 2020 riots left shortly thereafter. Beth, Kreuser, and Antaramian all declined to seek reelection. Then-District Attorney Michael Graveley also stepped down after opting not to run again.
The assessment, though forward-looking in its recommendations, leaves a clear verdict on the past: Kenosha’s top leadership during one of the most dangerous moments in the city’s history was unprepared, unclear, and uncoordinated, leaving the heavy lifting to rank-and-file public servants and outside agencies.
20 Responses
As a member of the downtown community, I remember thinking over and over again, where the fuck is the mayor and any leadership that first week? What a failure they were. So typical they wouldn’t partake in the after action report.
Answer:
The Tony Evers Club
Completely Valid. The democrat leadership of our city was completely afraid of making tough decisions not wanting to upset their voter base
“then-Sheriff David Beth, then-County Executive Jim Kreuser, and then-Mayor John Antaramian—left the county unprepared and directionless during one of the most high-profile emergencies in Kenosha’s history” What other backroom deals have we not been informed of yet? But will cost taxpayers plenty.
Oh so so so so very many…. just wait, you’ll slowly start to see. The county is crumbling and rather than do the right thing, they will simply attempt to cover their own asses 10000%
A huge Thank-you to Mr. Geersten and to the executives that supported the expense. Let’s hope the new leaders of city and county work through the findings and create a thorough response plan. A scary time for the city and one I pray we never experience again.
Dave Geertsen deserves credit for moving forward with this which is long overdue. There should have been a public debriefing after the riots and disappointing is the city’s noncooperation.
Here’s my surprised face. 😐
3 blind mice
Lack of leadership is common among democrats. Nothing surprising here.
2 wings of the same bird. They all hate and rob us regularly.
The CIA should be blamed since they orchastrated this false flag
The Mayor and his cronies were an absolute failure at every level during the riots.
This city has been ran mostly by democrats. Time and time again I’ve witnessed terrible decision making for this city. It didn’t surprise me when our leaders abandoned us Kenosha citizens! Hopefully this (the riots) never happens to our city again!
Yes, the “leadership” all the way to the Governor is to blame and at fault.
Keep voting Demorats in, and this is the chit you get.
From government to school boards.
They f up everything.
They’ve f’d up Kenosha like they do All Democrat controlled states, cities, schools and country.
The mayor was out in Lake Geneva enjoying the lake life as his city Burned and his supporters sat victim to the un-rest ,
Why did they even let all the Traffic into the city they all should have been redirected at the state /county line and all ramps into kenosha should have been closed
unless you had id showed you currently live in Kenosha . Are poor officers what they indured in the lack of leadership during this period .
Evers words when he addressed the situation will haunt us forever. Here’s a sample of our governor’s response and a link to Congressman Steil’s news release of July 8, 2021:
“On August 23, just hours after the shooting of Jacob Blake, but before rioting occurred, Tony Evers issued the following statement: “Tonight, Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha, Wisconsin.” He continued “(w)hile we do not have all of the details yet, what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country.” Those were Governor Evers’ incendiary written words in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Without the facts, he immediately put the shooting in the context of race and insinuated this was a merciless act.”
https://steil.house.gov/media/press-releases/steil-in-kenosha-news-evers-own-words-tell-what-he-did-in-kenosha
WHEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES LANDED IN KENOSHA TO SEE THE DEVASTATION THERE WASN’T A DEMOCRATE IN SIGHT TO GREET HIM. FOR THE 1ST TIME IN MY LIFE I WAS ASHAMED OF MY CITY!
The sole party responsible for that unforgettable nightmare was the governor. He declared the officer guilty before any investigation had even commenced, displaying a blatant disregard for due process. Driven by political self-interest and a fear of losing votes, he instructed the then-sheriff to stand down and permitted a handful of local criminals to incite unrest, beginning with the first rocks and Molotov cocktails hurled that Sunday night. He further ensured that the liberal media was turned against law enforcement, fueling public distrust and undermining the very institutions meant to protect us. In the days that followed, the city fell under the operational control of Antifa—a situation that should never have been allowed to occur. It is profoundly troubling and difficult to comprehend how the citizens of the great state of Wisconsin could find it within themselves to reelect such a disgraceful individual as worst ever(s).
The only redeeming aspect of this entire ordeal is that both civilians and law enforcement officers directed me to Kevin’s Facebook page. Though the page was inactive, it remained accessible, and I was struck by how many people I knew had visited it in search of leadership, solidarity, and support for law enforcement and the rule of law. That is how I met Kevin, the sole positive outcome in an otherwise egregious sequence of infamous events.