(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
The Brady list is not a punishment tool. It is a credibility safeguard. Prosecutors are required to disclose to defense attorneys when a law-enforcement officer has been found to be dishonest or untruthful, because an officer’s credibility is foundational to the justice system. An officer on a Brady list may still testify, but their word is permanently impeachable. For that reason, many law-enforcement agencies treat Brady placement as disqualifying. The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office has long maintained a policy that officers placed on a Brady list cannot continue their employment. Honesty is not optional in law enforcement, it is the job.
That context matters, because this discussion is not really about immigration policy. It is about truthfulness, candor, and whether the sheriff of Kenosha County misled the public.
Kenosha County Eye has now reviewed both the original draft 287(g) agreement and the final version signed by Sheriff David W. Zoerner, and the two documents are nearly identical in substance. The only discernible differences appear to be administrative and cosmetic: the draft agreement contains placeholder language such as “insert agency name here” and lacks signatures, while the finalized version simply replaces those placeholders with “Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office” and includes execution dates and signatures. The indemnification, liability, and operational provisions cited by the sheriff as reasons for his reversal appear unchanged in any meaningful way.
After reviewing both documents in full, they appear nearly identical in all material respects. The core indemnification framework, liability references, and federal statutory protections are substantially the same. There is no sweeping new indemnification language, no dramatic reallocation of liability, and no meaningful change that would reasonably justify a complete policy reversal. Readers can and should review both documents themselves and draw their own conclusions.
That brings us to September.
In September, Sheriff Zoerner issued a public statement saying that entering into a 287(g) agreement was not in the best interest of Kenosha County or its taxpayers. He said he had reviewed the program, consulted with county administration, and concluded that participation was not appropriate at that time. The statement was definitive. It was not tentative. It was not framed as a work-in-progress.
In December, he signed the agreement anyway, without public notice, without a press release, and without informing the voters who elected him.
When the signing finally became public, it did not come through voluntary disclosure. It came only after Captain James Beller announced his candidacy for sheriff and publicly pledged that, if elected, he would pursue a 287(g) agreement. Only then did the sheriff acknowledge that he had already signed one.
Worse, the December messaging directly conflicts with the September statement.
In December, the sheriff said he had been “actively working” on the 287(g) agreement for roughly a year. Both statements cannot be true. If he had been working toward signing the agreement since late 2024, then the September claim that participation was not in the county’s best interest was misleading. If the September statement was truthful, then the December claim that he had been working on it for a year is not.
They cannot coexist.
Layered on top of that contradiction is the indemnification explanation. The sheriff told WISN and the Kenosha News that the agreement he signed was different from the one he previously reviewed, and that indemnification was the deciding factor. Yet the documents themselves do not support that claim in any meaningful way. The differences are minor. The justification was major.
At this point, the issue is no longer whether 287(g) is good policy. Reasonable people can disagree on immigration enforcement. The issue is whether the sheriff made a major public-safety policy decision based on politics rather than principle, and whether he misrepresented the reasons for that decision to the public.
Major policy reversals done quietly, disclosed only when politically unavoidable, and justified with explanations that do not align with the documents themselves raise serious questions about integrity. Law enforcement depends on trust. When that trust erodes, everything else follows.
Brady lists exist because the justice system cannot function if officers are not truthful. In this case, Sheriff Zoerner publicly said one thing in September, did another in December, and then offered an explanation that appears inconsistent with both the timeline and the documents.
This is not about left versus right. It is about whether the sheriff’s candor and credibility have been compromised, and whether the public was misled about a significant policy decision that affects Kenosha County.
When officers are placed on the Brady list, it is because they lied. Here, the sheriff seemingly misled the entire county and the voters who may soon decide his political fate.
Does Kenosha County Sheriff David W. Zoerner belong on the Brady list?
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Signed Version:
22 Responses
Zoerner = MAJOR disappointment, he needs to go!
Very soon, all of us will be presented with evidence that will provide a compelling case that all three current candidates for Kenosha County Sheriff should be on the Brady List.
No doubt, and I got some wood to add to that fire with him!!!
This is the dumbest thing ever. All politicians lie. Way different than lying in a police report or in court. Be serious.
So we should just accept that they all lie?? please keep on keeping your head in the sand.
David Zoerner is trying to arrest KM and trying to get the State Police and attorney general to file charges on a journalist. David Zoerner is a communist. I heard Zoerner cross dresses and wears his wife’s clothes they are the same size.
A lot of what I read in the agreement is one-sided. Maybe he should not have signed it.
Kenosha County gets what it deserves. The electorate votes these clowns in. As a former resident who left for much greener pastures, I watch the constant articles about the Kerkman clown car, the Salem lakes clown posse, alderman Kennedy, Zoerner, et al and think back to when Kenosha county and city had some degree of sanity. Is it really that long ago? Everyone seems to be trying to be more moronic than the next one. Sad place but I guess the Chicago/Milwaukee complex did it in . You can actually vote for better government. It just takes the will
Bravo 👏🏻
yeah ……. conservatives have to get themselves off the couch to go vote …… and to help conservative candidates with their campaigns.
Get off the couch.
Yes it takes Will. But Will without brainpower overcoming emotive “feel good” stupidity is worthless.
Sheriff Zoerner has an immense amount of duties. Those duties stretch 271.8 miles. Not many people are capable of handling these daily tasks and with zest. He should be commended for his job well .
He’s in way over his head. Sam Kerkman has him on a short leash
This article does not contemplate that there are other sources of information and learning available to the Sheriff other than the agreement itself. Who knows if subsequent discussions with the federal government or other law enforcement agencies gave the Sheriff a different perspective.
The vindictiveness and slant of the authors view is very limiting and possibly crosses the line of malice and slander. The article itself outlines the possible damages; loss of an elected office isn’t the concern but loss of the ability to do a law enforcement job after he loses this election is.
Trump sued the media for irresponsible reporting and won. I think this articles lack of considering other factors that go into any decision and the authors stated intent to damage would be good for a judge and jury to see.
As for the Sheriff, I don’t vote for him and won’t vote for him.
Read both documents. Point out one thing Kevin said that is a lie. I’ll save you the trouble – you can’t. If there are “other sources of information” that Kevin didn’t disclose, why doesn’t the sheriff explain those? We all know the reason he signed it….he’s up for re-election.
I’m concerned that he did sign the 287(g) agreement. For one thing, Kenosha County has a long history of cooperation without it. We used to house federal prisoners in the jail until they no longer were willing to pay the county to do so. In any event, for the 60-some years that NCIC has been around, Kenosha County has cooperated. Whenever someone is arrested there is a check of the FBI’s NCIC database (and the state CIB database) for warrants. If there is a “hit” then the originating agency is supposed to get an automatic notice and the typical protocol would be for the agency with custody to request confirmation of the warrant status. Then a hold is placed. If there’s an active warrant and it’s entered into NCIC (which is normal procedure) then this is the process that’s been going on since at least the mid-1960’s.
The 287(g) agreement seems to offer immigration enforcement training to local law enforcement and some training money but little else in terms of financial compensation. Pretty much a one-way deal. I think it’s probably a good idea to continue the existing cooperation and let the feds do their own enforcement activities.
Does he still have that “Vote for me ” paint job on Sheriff’s squads?
From what I understand, the rules/policies that the Feds expect of the officers isn’t the same as the rules/policy as the other inmates. The rules should apply to ALL of them the same. No special ANYTHING. You are in JAIL! SMH.
You mean the police don’t always tell the truth????? NO WAY!!!! Minorities have been trying to tell you this for years. They will do and say whatever they need to in order to advance their own goals. Whether it’s the truth or not is irrelevant!
Your testimony is true. Their’s, in way too many cases, is not.
According to https://giglio-bradylist.com/. you should know that ICE guys Bevino and Homan are on the list.
I personally know of some KPD (now former) who were on that list. SHAME SHAME
You cannot be a cop if you are not honest.