FLOCK Image Illegally Obtained by Ortiz
RACINE, Wis. — Kenosha County Eye publisher Kevin Mathewson has filed a John Doe petition in Racine County Circuit Court seeking a criminal investigation into Racine County Sheriff’s Deputy Emil J. Ortiz, alleging the deputy committed felony misconduct in public office by repeatedly using restricted law-enforcement databases for personal purposes.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
The petition, filed Saturday, asks a judge to open a John Doe proceeding under Wisconsin law to determine whether Ortiz’s conduct amounts to criminal misconduct in public office. Mathewson also asked the court to appoint a special prosecutor to handle the case rather than Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson, citing what he described as a pattern of declining to prosecute public safety personnel.
According to Mathewson’s sworn declaration, Ortiz conducted at least 19 searches in the FLOCK automated license-plate reader system targeting the vehicle of his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend despite there being no active law-enforcement investigation involving that individual. The declaration states that Ortiz also ran queries through the Wisconsin Department of Justice TIME system and used the CLEAR investigative platform for the same personal purpose.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
The searches occurred between August and October 2025, according to the records cited in the filing. Each search reportedly listed “investigation” or a similar entry as the justification despite the absence of an official case.
Ortiz later admitted during an internal interview that he had used the systems while attempting to gather information about the man involved in his girlfriend’s harassment complaint, according to documents cited in the filing.
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office ultimately resolved the matter administratively by demoting Ortiz from the rank of detective to deputy and suspending him for 10 days without pay. No criminal referral was made to prosecutors.
Mathewson said the lack of criminal charges — and the fact that Ortiz remained employed — prompted him to seek judicial intervention.
“I think it’s absurd that criminal charges were never referred or filed in this case,” Mathewson said.
The petition also references a series of prior controversies involving Ortiz that have been documented by Kenosha County Eye over the past year.
Ortiz was previously arrested following a domestic disturbance in Somers involving allegations of domestic violence. In another incident reported last summer, deputies responding to a disturbance allegedly observed a victim with a swollen lip and blood inside the residence, yet prosecutors declined to file charges.
Ortiz has also faced internal scrutiny after investigators determined he improperly used an ICAC computer tied to child-exploitation investigations for personal activity, according to prior reporting.
Mathewson said those incidents demonstrate a broader pattern that should have triggered a criminal referral long before the FLOCK investigation.
“At some point the public deserves to know why the same officer keeps showing up in internal investigations and controversy after controversy while the consequences remain administrative,” Mathewson said. “When law enforcement officers misuse powerful investigative tools for personal reasons, that’s exactly the kind of conduct the misconduct-in-office statute is meant to address.”
Mathewson noted that he filed a similar John Doe petition last week involving former Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank McGrath, who was accused of misusing law-enforcement databases to look up information for personal reasons. In that case, Racine County Chief Judge Wynne Laufenberg forwarded the matter to Kenosha County District Attorney Xavier Solis for review and a charging decision.
In the Ortiz case, however, Mathewson specifically asked the court to appoint a special prosecutor rather than referring the matter to Racine County District Attorney Patricia Hanson.
The petition argues that comparable cases elsewhere in Wisconsin have resulted in criminal charges.
In Outagamie County earlier this year, a law-enforcement officer was charged with felony misconduct in public office after allegedly using the FLOCK system for personal reasons while entering “investigation” as the justification code. In Milwaukee County, another officer was charged with attempted misconduct in public office under similar circumstances involving misuse of law-enforcement databases.
Mathewson’s declaration argues that Ortiz’s conduct was even more extensive, involving multiple database systems and repeated searches over several months.
Under Wisconsin law, a John Doe proceeding allows a judge to conduct a confidential investigation to determine whether a crime occurred and whether charges should be issued.
In the filing, Mathewson states he believes probable cause exists that Ortiz committed felony misconduct in public office by knowingly exceeding his lawful authority and accessing restricted law-enforcement databases for personal purposes.
If the court grants the petition, a judge could order witnesses to testify under oath and review evidence related to the alleged misconduct to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
At Summit Police Department
At Summit Police Department
29 Responses
Next time warn us before you post a picture of Hanson!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not only did my dinner come back up, but I believe every meal that I had this week came back up.
At least post “GRAPHIC PHOTO” next time Kevin, for the love of God, please!!
i know! I was eating–and nearly vomited
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Who are the 3 people who put a thumbs down on this comment? Both photos of Pat Hanson are hideous, but that close up is downright frightening.
She sure is a portly fellow
The way this world is going..Is it possible she is a HE?
It’s Pat from Saturday Night Live
One either ought to be art, or wear art, that is all. Clearly more than one persons picture on this article violates the eyes of any viewer.
Oh my, Patricia Hanson 🤣
“Bring me princess Leia” 🐸
Pat Hanson …. Mayor Cory Mason(D) without the beard.
I think she may have at least have a slight beard
Hansen is endorsing Wicklund in Union Grove, and he’s been going on about how great she is for Racine County. So— if you’re in the Grove, probably don’t vote for Wicklund.
Wicklund is running to replace Vos, right? So anyone in Vos’ district should avoid swampy Wicklund.
It is really sad that in our world citizens are forced to investigate criminal misconduct of local law enforcement officers. This is necessary because law enforcement leadership will not. We need to be thankful that Kevin has taken this on on our behalf.
He was a prick in high school, too.
He looks like a criminal .
Probably because he is.
Thank you! How many more domestic beatings until they do something about this piece of shit?
……Mr. “I can fix her” NOW! 🙂
FLOCK
I bet Hanson is a Real Ball of Fire.
So tired of the favoritism with law enforcement when they break the law and nothing happens for their behavior! When they expect the citizens to obey the laws and rules, please set an example or us!
Whats with the John Doe filings? Got nothing better to do? Let the agencies take care of it their own way.
……..”Let the agencies take care of it their own way.”
Provide some examples please of how they take care of issues “off the books”….please elaborate.
Are you his only friend ?
Looks like a professional wrestler
Many more comments about the pictures that the story.
Are we in first grade here ?!?
This is a serious issue !
People in positions of power and having access to legal information and the ability to search without warrants !!
If this guy gets before a judge I sincerely hope that the judge puts this guy away for a very long time.
Do we have to wait for some girlfriend to get beaten up or worse before cops start to go to jail ?!?
This is not a story to make jokes about someone’s appearance. Please wake up and understand that you are reading a serious story.
Be thankful that Kevin is doing what he’s doing for the betterment of everyone in our community.
Support his efforts by giving it serious thought and appropriate attention.
Lastly, Amanda. Can you add this to your list of legislation to author ? Making abuse and unauthorized access to Flock Cameras and other surveillance technology a Felony with serious jail time ?!? Yes I understand that their currently there are laws on the books but obviously they aren’t enough of a deterrent because this keeps happening !!