GREENFIELD, Wis. — Greenfield Police Chief Jay Johnson is facing a felony misconduct charge for allegedly using a department-owned surveillance camera for personal use.
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Newly obtained court documents say Johnson had a pole camera installed at his Wind Lake residence in Racine County in December 2024 "due to safety concerns stemming from his divorce." The documents say the specific safety concerns were never articulated or substantiated.
Before the installation, Johnson spoke with the city attorney about using the camera at his home. The attorney told him it was "not legally allowed." However, Johnson allegedly used the camera anyway, keeping the installation low-key and changing the password to hide its location from other department members.
Johnson has been on paid administrative leave since late April after he was confronted with the allegations and offered the chance to retire with a full pension. According to the criminal complaint, Johnson became "very irate" during the confrontation and blamed others for the camera's installation at his residence.
Watch: Greenfield police chief charged with felony misconduct for personal use of department property
According to the complaint, Johnson became irate and denied the charges before being placed on leave.
A week later, Johnson invited members of the media to his own news conference to address his leave.
"I have 33 years of dedicated service to the City of Greenfield. I have never had a formal complaint of discipline against me. Mayor Nietzke has never criticized my work performance. However, he has requested I retire many times,” Johnson told reporters in May.
The court document also details instances of threatening behavior against other officers, including Greenfield's acting police chief, who filed a formal complaint with Oak Creek Police against Chief Johnson for harassment and threats.
Johnson directed TMJ4 to his attorney, Michael Fox. Fox says they deny the claims of misconduct and described the matter as retaliatory after Johnson filed multiple age-discrimination complaints against the city.
In a statement, Greenfield Mayor Michael Nietzke says, although Johnson is presumed innocent until proven guilty, they appear to be serious charges, and we do not take them lightly.
Johnson is scheduled to appear in court on November 10.
See the Greenfield mayor’s full statement below:
“We understand criminal charges have been filed against Chief Jay Johnson, who is currently on paid administrative leave from his role pending the completion of the City’s internal investigation into alleged violations of City policy, rules, procedures, and expectations of conduct. Although Johnson is presumed innocent until proven guilty of these criminal charges, they appear to be serious charges, and we do not take them lightly. To ensure the integrity of the criminal investigation, the City was asked by outside criminal authorities to pause its internal investigation for multiple months while the external and independent criminal process occurred. The City has resumed its internal investigation and seeks to conclude the investigation in a timely, thorough, and fair manner. Johnson is entitled to due process and will continue paid administrative leave throughout the City’s investigation, as is required by state law.”
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