After the recent loss of a local deputy in the line of duty, we know that 2023 is the deadliest year for police officers and deputies in Wisconsin in the past two decades.
St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson yesterday said he is hurting once again after one of his deputies, Deputy Katie Leising, was gunned down over the weekend. She is the fourth law enforcement officer to be killed in Wisconsin so far this year. She was the third officer in western Wisconsin to be killed in the past two months. Two Barron County officers were also shot and killed back in April. A police officer in Milwaukee was shot and killed by a burglary suspect back in February. The sheriff says it’s only May, and he worries what the rest of the year will bring.
As our community mourns there are now plans to pay respects and it will be another sad goodbye for law enforcers. St. Croix County Deputy Katie Leising will be laid to rest Friday in Hudson. There will be a public visitation from 9 a.m. til noon Friday at Hudson High School, she will then have a full police memorial immediately after. Her funeral comes about a month after police officers from across the state were in Barron County to say goodbye to Chetek Police Officer Emily Breidenbach and Cameron Police Officer Hunter Scheel, who were killed in April.