Outstanding Arrest Award · 2011

In the Outstanding Arrest Award nomination submission, Officer Brown's then-Lieutenant stated that, in October 2011, Officer Brown investigated a physical and sexual assault that occurred at multiple locations throughout the City of Fond du Lac.

The female victim had been subjected to a brutal and prolonged assault by her boyfriend. During the incident, she was physically beaten, struck with bottles, and strangled multiple times. At one point, the suspect threatened her with death and forced her to choose between jumping from a vehicle traveling at highway speeds or remaining inside the vehicle and being killed later. The suspect also strangled the victim while positioning her in front of a mirror and telling her that he wanted her to watch herself die.

Knowing that the victim was traveling from another community to St. Agnes Hospital, Officer Brown immediately contacted an advocacy organization and coordinated with the necessary personnel to ensure appropriate resources were in place when the victim arrived.

Officer Brown demonstrated exceptional compassion and professionalism throughout his interaction with the victim. Despite the victim being extremely emotionally distressed after enduring horrific trauma, Officer Brown was able to establish rapport and elicit a significant amount of detailed information regarding the assault.

His investigative report was described as extremely well written, thorough, and detailed. He also conducted extensive follow-up investigation, which resulted in the development of additional evidence and witness statements.

Following the investigation, an advocate from the victim advocacy organization contacted the Fond du Lac Police Department to express appreciation for Officer Brown's work and the manner in which he treated the victim. The advocate stated that Officer Brown "treated the victim with compassion, dignity and respect."

The advocate further noted that Officer Brown apologized to the victim for what had happened, reassured her that she did not deserve the abuse, and told her how brave she was for coming forward to report the assault. Officer Brown repeatedly asked whether she needed a break and encouraged her throughout the interview, complimenting her on the job she was doing despite the circumstances.

The advocate concluded by recognizing the coordinated response among law enforcement, victim advocacy, and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, stating that teamwork from law enforcement, advocacy, and SANE made this the best practice and services for a victim who had endured horrific trauma.

The Fond du Lac County Assistant District Attorney assigned to the case also provided significant commendation for Officer Brown's investigation. The ADA stated that Officer Brown investigated the case thoroughly and that his report was efficient and detailed, and specifically noted that Officer Brown interviewed every possible witness and responded to every possible scene in an effort to identify and preserve evidence.

The Assistant District Attorney further stated that, in large part because of Officer Brown's investigative work, they were confident the suspect could be held accountable.

The Assistant District Attorney also contacted Fond du Lac Police Department leadership after receiving the investigative reports and described the incident as one of the most brutal assaults they had encountered short of a homicide.

The purpose of the correspondence, the ADA explained, was to recognize the exceptional work performed by the patrol officer assigned to the investigation. The ADA noted that officers frequently receive notifications from the District Attorney's Office identifying missing information or explaining why a case could not be prosecuted, but that officers do not always hear when their reports and investigations are exceptionally well done.

The ADA stated that they had worked with Officer Brown since he began his career with the Fond du Lac Police Department in 2008 and expressed how impressed they were with his development and professionalism so early in his career, concluding again that, because of Officer Brown's work, they were confident the suspect could be held accountable.

Officer Brown's response to this investigation demonstrated the qualities expected of an exceptional law enforcement officer: compassion for a traumatized victim, attention to detail, persistence in pursuing evidence, thorough investigative practices, strong interagency coordination, and a commitment to ensuring that a violent offender was held accountable.

For Officer Brown, the most meaningful part of the case was never the award itself. It was knowing that a victim of horrific violence had been heard, treated with dignity, and connected to the resources she needed, and that the work done that October helped give her case the strength it deserved in court.