Policy Text
Departmental Memorandum
Volume 24-5
To: All Personnel Katherine Lester , Chief of Police
From : PSU
Legislative Update - July 1, 2024
The following are legislative updates effective July 1, 2024. Please familiarize yourself with the changes to
these laws. If you have any questions regarding these changes, you may consult your supervisor, the training
division, or the Professional Standards Unit.
CUSTODIAL INTERROGATION OF A PERSON 17 YEARS OF AGE OR YOUNGER - WI 625.7
A. Requires a peace officer interrogating a juvenile to not use certain tactics.
B. During a custodial interrogation of a person 17 years of age or younger relating to the commission of a
misdemeanor or felony, a law enforcement officer shall not employ threats, physical harm, deception, or psychologically manipulative interrogation tactics.
1. Deception includes, but is not limited to, the knowing communication of false facts about evidence
misrepresenting the accuracy of the facts, or false statements regarding leniency.
C. Psychologically manipulative interrogation tactics include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Maximization and minimization, and other interrogati on practices that rely on a presumption of guilt or
deceit.
2. Maximization includes techniques to scare or intimidate the person by repetitively asserting the person
is guilty despite their denials or exaggerating the magnitude of the charges or the strengt h of the
evidence, including suggesting the existence of evidence that does not exist.
3. Minimization involves minimizing the moral seriousness of the offense, a tactic that falsely
communicates that the conduct is justified, excusable, or accidental.
4. Maki ng direct or indirect promises of leniency, such as indicating the person will be released if the
person cooperates.
5. Employing the “false” or “forced” choice strategy, where the person is encouraged to select one of two
options, both incriminatory, but one is characterized as morally or legally justified or excusable.
D. The prohibition of the use of these interrogation tactics does not apply to interrogations of a person 17
years of age or younger if both of the following criteria are met:
1. The law enforcem ent officer who questioned the person reasonably believed the information the officer
sought was necessary to protect life or property from an imminent threat.
2. The questions by law enforcement officers were limited to those questions that were reasonably
necessary to obtain information related to the imminent threat.
VEHICLE REGISTRATION – VC §§ 4000, 5204, and 40225 (Amended) AB256
Law enforcement shall not take any enforcement action against a person for their vehicle registration being
expired for only a month. However, law enforcement may take an enforcement action for having an expired
vehicle registration before the second month of expiration only if the driver is stopped for any other violation of the vehicle code. This does not apply to fleet vehicles.
PROHIBITED PERSONS – PC § 1001.36
A person on mental health pre -trial diversion who has been found by a court , on or after July 1, 2024, to be
prohibited from owning or controlling a firearm because they are a danger to themselves or others and has
been granted pretrial me ntal health diversion pursuant to subdivision (m) of Section 1001.36 of the Penal
Departmental Memorandum
Volume 24-5
To: All Personnel Katherine Lester , Chief of Police
From: PSU
Code, shall not own, possess, control, receive, or purchase, or attempt to own, possess, control, receive, or
purchase, any firearm until the person successfully completes di version or their firearm rights are restored .
It's important to remember that not all persons who have been granted pretrial mental health diversion are
prohibited from possessing a firearm. They first have to be found by a court to be prohibited from ow ning or
controlling a firearm because they are a danger to themselves or others.