Feb 15, 2017 - Phone 920-869-3800 ... Brown County Officers went to the call, assisted at the scene, and then left to ..
HOBART/LAWRENCE POLICE DEPARTMENT 2990 S. Pine Tree Rd. Hobart, WI 54155
Randall Bani Chief
Phone 920-869-3800 fax: 920-869-2048
Date 02/15/2017 To: Green Bay Press Gazette, USA TODAY NETWORK- WISCONSIN From: Randy Bani, Chief of Police Re: Tough Day on the Job for Tough Profession article - Rebuttal I would be remiss if I did not respond to an article written by writer Paul Srubas about events of a double, nearly triple, homicide in Hobart, WI on June 7th, 2016. Hobart/Lawrence Police are professional and proud of what we do here. The article as written suggests or leads one to believe that Brown County Sheriff’s Department went to our scene, took over this scene, and single handedly worked the case as though it was all on them, on their shoulders, to handle and investigate. That is not at all true. The Brown County certainly assisted the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department with initial response, but so did many other agencies. This was an all hands-on-deck type of call and many departments assisted in this response. This was not handed over to the Brown County Sheriff’s Department and it absolutely does not rest on their shoulders. This case rests with the Hobart/ Lawrence Police, The Department of Criminal Investigation, and the District Attorney’s Office. Brown County Officers went to the call, assisted at the scene, and then left to carry on normal duties, just like the other agencies throughout the county. Brown County investigators and specialized units assisted with other aspects of the investigation as requested by the Hobart/ Lawrence Police, but by no means, took over this investigation for us. Hobart/Lawrence Officers secured the scene, stayed on scene for the entire duration of the call. Nearly a full week. From Tuesday evening when this call was dispatched until approximately 12:00 noon on Friday, Hobart/ Lawrence Officers were on scene around the clock. Hobart/Lawrence Police called in assistance from the State Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the WI State Crime Labs, and everyone and anyone we needed to process this scene, leaving no stone unturned. I do not want to take anything away from the officers of the Brown County Sheriff’s Dept. who went to this scene, or minimize the work they did to assist Hobart/Lawrence Police on this call.
Road officers, investigators, and supervisors who assisted us did a great job helping. Everyone went above and beyond during this horrific call. My officers went above and beyond on this night and throughout this entire week. It was only with the professional help from Green Bay PD, WI State Patrol, Oneida PD, Pulaski PD, County Rescue, The Brown County Dispatch Center, DTF, Brown County Highway, Brown County Sheriff’s Dept., Medical Examiner’s Office, DA’s Office, Hobart Fire, Hobart Public Works, and Hobart Animal Control. We also received assistance from Lawrence Public Works, WI DCI, the 3 WI Crime Labs of Wausau, Madison, and Milwaukee, as well as Titletown Drones that made up this successful investigation and arrest. These agencies assisted us and they would have been there to assist the county or anyone else if this had happened in another’s jurisdiction. I hope I did not miss anyone, but I want the readers to know that this was much bigger, and had a lot more hands in this than just the Brown County Sheriff’s Dept. as the article makes it sound. As far as the crime scene, Hobart/Lawrence has always been and remains the primary agency in charge of this investigation. This in no way is being shouldered by the Sheriff’s Dept. We, HLPD, have investigated this case and have processed more than 400 pieces of evidence on this case. We continue to follow up on leads yet today. The Department of Criminal Investigation has been huge asset for us in this investigation and have been great to work with. I am not sure where the information for this article came from. It is not accurate information and the Hobart/ Lawrence Police Department was never contacted for any information related to this article.
Chief Randy Bani Hobart/ Lawrence Police
