WAUKESHA COUNTY, Wis. — Nearly two months after he was essentially forced to resign from the Wauwatosa Police Department, Joseph Mensah was sworn in as a Waukesha County deputy on Monday.
Mensah encountered deadly force situations created by criminals, which led to three fatal shootings over the past five years, in Wauwatosa.
All three shootings were ruled justified by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. Nevertheless, Mensah was subjected to hecklers, radical activists, and city government leaders who targeted him, Law Officer reported.
Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson confirmed Mensah’s hiring on Tuesday, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
“Mr. Mensah progressed through an extensive, thorough and exhaustive hiring process,” Severson said in a press release.
“While some have expressed concerns about Mr. Mensah’s past uses of force, I assembled a team who exhaustively reviewed Mr. Mensah’s previous work history. I have concluded … that Mr. Mensah’s use of force was consistent with the Federal and State laws, Wisconsin training and uniformly applied police policy,” Severson wrote.
Press Release.
Posted by Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Severson said Mensah will enter a supervised field training program “where he will be afforded the same opportunities as every other deputy working for the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office.”
In the current political climate, Severson’s decision to hire Mensah is courageous, and should be applauded as he brings a hero back into the fold.
