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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10 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?
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
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?