WRN strongly urges Sheriff Ball to reconsider this move. Bowen will be a disaster as this position will require trust and confidentiality with other law enforcement agencies and the Milwaukee County DAs office.

Will Rep. David Bowen be the next Chief of Staff for the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department?

Well-placed sources have confirmed to WRN that Wisconsin state Rep. David Bowen (D-Milwaukee) is being considered by Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball to be her Chief of Staff. We are also hearing that some have expressed concern about the possibility behind the scenes, meaning Ball might reconsider.

We hope she does.

Bowen, as you’ll recall, was present at the scene of the attack on former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah and his police officer girlfriend in 2020, which resulted in gunshots being fired and a felony arrest made of another man.

Bowen refused to talk to police about what happened and later lied about the event in a press release. WRN wrote a 7-part series detailing his actions in “State Rep. David Bowen: The Making of a Lie”

Bowen was never charged for his involvement in the incident, and he did not face any discipline in the legislature even after Wauwatosa police chief Barry Weber asked the Legislature to act. In a statement to the Legislature, Weber said,

“I find the conduct of Mr. Bowen to be appalling and disgusting. He has made a mockery of our system of law and order in Wisconsin, and has brought disgrace to the office in which he serves”

Ted Chisholm, the son of Milwaukee county DA John Chisholm, was former Sheriff Earnell Lucus’s chief of staff. He resigned in March.

Gov. Tony Evers appointed Ball as the new Milwaukee County Sheriff in October after former Sheriff Earnell Lucas suddenly resigned.

We reached out for comment from the sheriff and will update the story if she responds.