Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB360

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 7/17/25
• Refer: 7/17/25
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to create 16.23 of the statutes; Relating to: small law enforcement agency grant pilot program. (FE)

Summary

AB360 would create a new pilot grant program in the Department of Administration to help small law enforcement agencies cover the costs of recruiting and training new officers. The program is aimed at police departments, tribal police departments, combined protective services departments, and sheriff’s offices with 25 or fewer full-time equivalent nonsupervisory officers. Eligible agencies could apply when they learn an officer will leave within six months or when they have at least a 20% vacancy rate. The grants could be used only for preparatory training for a prospective officer and for up to six months of on-the-job training costs after hiring. The bill also allows the department to issue funds quickly while applications are under review, with reimbursement if an application is later denied. If an agency has already received reimbursement from the Law Enforcement Standards Board for the same training, the grant would be limited to the remaining unreimbursed costs. The pilot program would end 18 months after all grant money is disbursed, though repayment efforts could continue after termination.

Impact

AB360 would add a new statutory section, s. 16.23, and create a state-administered grant mechanism specifically for small law enforcement agencies facing staffing shortages or expected retirements. It would affect state administration, law enforcement training funding, and repayment rules for officers whose training is publicly financed. The bill also interacts with existing law enforcement training reimbursement provisions under s. 165.85 and creates a one-year service commitment for grant-funded recruits, with prorated repayment authority if the commitment is not completed.

Sentiment

The available record shows no committee transcript, vote tally, or recorded floor debate, so there is no documented public discussion to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill’s structure, it appears designed as a workforce-support measure for understaffed local and tribal agencies, suggesting an intent to address recruitment and retention challenges rather than to change policing policy more broadly. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1.

Contention

The main policy issues likely to draw scrutiny are whether the state should subsidize local law enforcement hiring, how to define and verify eligibility for small agencies and vacancy thresholds, and whether the one-year work commitment and repayment provisions are fair and enforceable. Another possible point of concern is the bill’s quick-disbursement feature, which sends money before final application approval and requires later reimbursement if denied. No specific opposing or supporting arguments are recorded in the provided materials, but the bill’s focus on police staffing and public funding for training could raise questions about cost, oversight, and whether similar aid should extend to larger agencies or other public safety employers.