MILWAUKEE — Newly released body camera video shows a former Milwaukee Police detective lying to fellow officers about having her firearm after a drunk driving crash.
Detective Nicole Swenson was fired from the Milwaukee Police Department after the March 2024 incident at Hawley and State streets. The body camera footage, released after TMJ4's year-long investigation, shows Swenson denying she was the driver and that she had a firearm in her car when officers asked during the crash investigation.
"Is there any firearms in there?" an officer asked Swenson as she gathered belongings from her SUV.
"No," Swenson replied twice when pressed by officers.
However, open records reveal a detective who reviewed the body camera video saw Swenson remove a "holstered firearm from her center console … and put it in her purse."
Watch: Fired MPD detective lied about having gun after drunk crash, body camera shows
The incident landed Swenson on Milwaukee County's Brady List for the second time. The Brady List tracks officers with credibility concerns that must be disclosed to defense attorneys if they're called to testify in court.
The crash investigation
When Milwaukee police officers responded to the single-vehicle crash, they quickly realized it involved one of their own. Body camera video shows officers finding Swenson next to a Good Samaritan's car, with visible facial bruising.
Swenson is heard in the video initially blaming a friend for the crash. She told officers the friend "was drinking" and had left the scene; however, the investigation ultimately determined that Swenson was actually the driver.
Officers ordered Swenson to take a standard field sobriety test, which body camera footage shows she failed. She was then taken to the hospital, where tests revealed her blood alcohol content was double the legal limit, court records state.
In a follow-up interview, the Good Samaritan is seen on body video telling detectives: "I don't know what that lady was trying to pull with you, but she was drunk."
Police records indicate that during questioning at a police district, a lieutenant discovered Swenson's gun and said, "Your gun is right here in this bag."
Legal consequences
Last month, Swenson was sentenced to a year of probation for operating a firearm while intoxicated, a misdemeanor crime. Her attorney confirmed in court that she was indeed the driver of the vehicle.
Swenson declined to comment when contacted for this story.
The Milwaukee Police Department issued a statement acknowledging "the troubling events involving dishonest behavior of a former Detective, which resulted in that individual's discharge from the Department."
The body camera footage was released after TMJ4 spent a year investigating Milwaukee County's Brady List and requesting the video. The department had previously denied the request, stating they wouldn't release the footage until after Swenson's criminal case concluded.
If you want to see all of the current and former officers on Milwaukee County’s Brady list, our database in partnership with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Wisconsin Watch can be found below.
See all Duty to Disclose stories as they are posted here.
The Brady list is a compilation of current or former law enforcement officers deemed by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office to have credibility issues. The underlying allegation can range from lying on exams to violent crimes. Just because an officer is on the list does not mean he or she was necessarily convicted or charged with a crime, or found guilty of internal misconduct. According to the office of District Attorney Kent Lovern, some cases may have resulted in an acquittal, been dismissed, or were amended to non-criminal offenses. The office says, "the database is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of February 27, 2025."
About this project
“Duty to Disclose” is a joint investigation by TMJ4, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Wisconsin Watch. The collaboration was prompted by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s decision in 2024 to release its “Brady List,” a closely-guarded list of law enforcement officers with alleged credibility issues, after pressure from the news organizations.
TMJ4 Lighthouse reporter Ben Jordan, Journal Sentinel investigative reporter Ashley Luthern and Wisconsin Watch investigative reporter Mario Koran spent four months verifying the hundreds of officers on the list, discovering that it is frequently incomplete and inconsistent.
Readers with tips about the Brady List are encouraged to contact reporter Ben Jordan at ben.jordan@tmj4.com.
See all Duty to Disclose stories as they are posted here.
The Brady list is a compilation of current or former law enforcement officers deemed by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office to have credibility issues. The underlying allegation can range from lying on exams to violent crimes. Just because an officer is on the list does not mean he or she was necessarily convicted or charged with a crime, or found guilty of internal misconduct. According to the office of District Attorney Kent Lovern, some cases may have resulted in an acquittal, been dismissed, or were amended to non-criminal offenses. The office says, "the database is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of February 27, 2025."
About this project
“Duty to Disclose” is a joint investigation by TMJ4, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Wisconsin Watch. The collaboration was prompted by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s decision in 2024 to release its “Brady List,” a closely-guarded list of law enforcement officers with alleged credibility issues, after pressure from the news organizations.
TMJ4 Lighthouse reporter Ben Jordan, Journal Sentinel investigative reporter Ashley Luthern and Wisconsin Watch investigative reporter Mario Koran spent four months verifying the hundreds of officers on the list, discovering that it is frequently incomplete and inconsistent.
Readers with tips about the Brady List are encouraged to contact reporter Ben Jordan at ben.jordan@tmj4.com.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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