Joseph Mensah: Targeted for Doing His Job
Kris Hauser
Fall 2022
Fall 2022
Why is law-enforcement recruitment at an all-time low? Why are so many police officers across the nation leaving the force? In addition to resignations and retirements — which by themselves are overwhelming — politics (the “defund the police” movement and little-to-no support from local officials), protests, and highprofile killings are major disincentives. Anyone can see how unsettling it is for law-enforcement officials to deal with any one of these issues, much less all of them while serving the people in their communities. Police officers across the nation are being put under the microscope, especially if they need to use deadly force — high on the list of deterrents when deciding whether to join. No one disputes that such situations merit an investigation, but the issue lies with the conduct of these investigations. It is truly a trying time to be in law enforcement. Joseph Mensah joined the Wauwatosa Police Department in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, in January 2015 at the age of 25. He has fatally shot three people in the line of duty: Antonio Gonzales, Jay Anderson Jr., and Alvin Cole, respectively in 2015, 2016, and 2020. The first shooting happened on July 16, 2015. Officer Mensah and his partner, Officer Jeffrey Newman, responded to a 911 call. The call was from a homeowner who apparently shared the house with Gonzalez. When Mensah and Newman arrived at the house, Gonzalez was intoxicated and waving a sword in the direction of the officers. When the officers told him to drop it, he didn’t comply. Mensah then shot Gonzalez eight times. Gonzalez died on the scene shortly after the shooting. Both he and Newman were placed on administrative leave during the investigation. The next shooting in the line of duty took place on June 23, 2016. Officer Mensah responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle parked outside Madison Park in Wauwatosa. Arriving at about 3 a.m., Mensah could see the suspect, Anderson, sleeping in the vehicle. He could also see a semi-automatic handgun on the front seat. When Mensah asked Anderson to raise his hands, Anderson instead reached for the gun on the seat. Mensah, fearing for his well-being, fired into the car six times, killing Anderson. On February 2, 2020, Officer Mensah was one of the Wauwatosa Police Department officers called to the Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa. There was an incident involving a man with a gun, later identified as Alvin Cole. When the police tried to arrest Cole, he started to run. According to reports, Cole accidentally shot himself in the arm in the west parking lot of the mall, and then pointed the gun toward the officers. Mensah fired five rapid succession rounds at Cole because he refused to surrender his gun. Cole was taken to the hospital where he later died. According to Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, Cole was caught on surveillance video entering the mall. He was carrying a sling bag, which was later discovered to contain a 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a loaded 30- round extended magazine. He was not allowed to carry a weapon due to his age and prior juvenile felony convictions. It was also found that the gun recovered after the shooting was reported stolen in Milwaukee in October 2019. District Attorney Chisholm cleared Officer Mensah of any wrongdoing in all three shootings, agreeing that Mensah had acted in self-defense in each incident. Although Officer Mensah was cleared of all criminal wrongdoing, there were loud calls for him to be fired. He resigned from the Wauwatosa Police Department effective November 30, 2020. The Wauwatosa Police and Fire Commission set an initial hearing in December 2020 to decide if Mensah should keep his position. However, the city stated it had asked the commission to meet “as soon as practical” in order to dismiss pending charges against him as he would no longer be with the Wauwatosa Police Department.
In January 2021, just two months after Officer Mensah resigned from the Wauwatosa Police Department, he was hired by Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson. Sheriff Severson stated, “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 along with Milwaukee DA, Wauwatosa PD, Milwaukee PD, as well as an independent investigation conducted by Wauwatosa Police and Fire commission that Mr. Mensah’s use of force was consistent with the Federal and State laws, Wisconsin training, and uniformly applied police policy. This is consistent with all other investigations.” One would think this was the end of it. However, in 2021, Milwaukee County Judge Glenn Yamahiro ruled that in Anderson’s case, there was probable cause to charge Mensah with homicide by negligent use of a deadly weapon. Yamahiro appointed two special prosecutors to review the case. The special prosecutors, Milwaukee attorney Scott Hansen and La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke, reviewed this case for months. According to reports, they consulted judges and attorneys, and even conducted a mock trial with a jury. They continually found they couldn’t defeat the self-defense argument. Ethically, they can’t charge cases they know they can’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Officer Mensah was not charged.
On August 8, 2020, Officer Mensah and his girlfriend (also a police officer) were the targets of a not-so-peaceful protest. According to various reports, Mensah was at his girlfriend’s house that evening. He claimed they were assaulted and that shots were fired. One bullet broke a window in her home, and another came within inches of Mensah. There was also toilet paper thrown in her trees. In a Facebook post written the following morning, Officer Mensah wrote: Last night, protesters came to my girlfriend’s house while I was there, and tried to kill me. I was unarmed and tried to defend my property and the property of my girlfriend. We were both assaulted, punched, and ultimately shot at several times. A shotgun round missed me by inches. Not once did I ever swing back or reciprocate any [of] the hate that was being directed at me. I am all for peaceful protests, even against me, but this was anything but peaceful. They threw toilet paper in her trees, broke her windows, and again, shot at both of us as they were trying to kill me. There are children that live there and they knew that. The irony in all of this is that they chanted Black Lives Matter the entire time, but had zero regard for any of the black children that live there or me, a black man. Were the protesters hired thugs used to promote a political agenda? It certainly fits BLM’s profile. After reporters tried reaching Mensah for comment, he responded again on Facebook: There is a difference between a peaceful protest, and a plan to trespass on private property with the intent to damage it. My girlfriend and I had every right to defend the property from those that trespassed on it. At the end of the day, protesters chose to come to that house, no one forced them to. They chose to stay, they chose to damage property, they chose to assault us. Their decision to come onto the porch, continue their assault on unarmed and defenseless police officers, and ultimately try kill me was their decision, and their decision alone. The incident is currently under investigation and the evidence will speak for itself. The protesters, along with state Representative David Bowen (D-Milwaukee), reportedly stated that Mensah was the aggressor and, thus, was the reason for the attacks. It was later discovered that Bowen was part of that group of protesters. He was seen on video leaving a Target store with a group of people. This is significant because Bowen was holding a large package of toilet paper, and the video showed him walking out of the store with Tiffany Henry, the Milwaukee office director for U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin. Bowen is also seen on video at the protest itself; he is shown holding up a roll of toilet paper. The video also shows Mensah and his girlfriend being attacked by the protesters, and Mensah being hit over the head with a bullhorn. This contradicts a public statement from Bowen where he tried to blame Mensah for the incident. Neither Bowen nor Henry were arrested or charged in connection with the incident.
In October 2021, the Anderson family filed a civil lawsuit in federal court against Officer Mensah, former Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber, and the city of Wauwatosa. The Anderson’s attorney, Motley, said that she looked forward to deposing Mensah under oath. According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit alleged the Wauwatosa Police Department trained Mensah (who is black) to view black people as dangerous, that the police department has a history of supporting racism going back some 40 years, and that Mensah violated Anderson’s constitutional rights. The family also is seeking undisclosed damages from the defendants, according to WISN 12 News. Joseph Mensah’s story could happen to any law-enforcement official who needs to use deadly force when confronting a suspect, especially if that suspect is armed. Why would a police officer put himself in that position? The officer would secondguess what he should do in that situation. If he shoots, will he be charged with a crime? If he doesn’t shoot, will he or others be shot? This puts law-enforcement officials in a tough spot, and it is one of the main reasons why recruitment is at an all-time low. The police are our protectors. We need them to ensure our communities — and, by extension, ourselves and our families — are safe. We need law and order. Without it, well, one just couldn’t imagine! It is time to stand with our law-enforcement officials. The police should not be punished for protecting us or themselves when all evidence reveals they were in the right. Enough with the political agendas that side with criminals and against our police officers. Protect and serve — that is what Officer Mensah did in all three incidents. It is time to let him move on with his life. I will close with the words of Officer Mensah: Despite having evidence PROVING I have done nothing wrong, I have been suspended without a reason, without an explanation, WITHOUT CAUSE. I sincerely hope all of my friends in the Law Enforcement community pay close attention to what’s being done to me. If you make the decision to defend your life, or the life of others, this is what will happen to you. It’s been made very clear to me that my life does not matter and never did. If I had died instead, none of this would be happening. Let all of that sink in….
In January 2021, just two months after Officer Mensah resigned from the Wauwatosa Police Department, he was hired by Waukesha County Sheriff Eric Severson. Sheriff Severson stated, “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 along with Milwaukee DA, Wauwatosa PD, Milwaukee PD, as well as an independent investigation conducted by Wauwatosa Police and Fire commission that Mr. Mensah’s use of force was consistent with the Federal and State laws, Wisconsin training, and uniformly applied police policy. This is consistent with all other investigations.” One would think this was the end of it. However, in 2021, Milwaukee County Judge Glenn Yamahiro ruled that in Anderson’s case, there was probable cause to charge Mensah with homicide by negligent use of a deadly weapon. Yamahiro appointed two special prosecutors to review the case. The special prosecutors, Milwaukee attorney Scott Hansen and La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke, reviewed this case for months. According to reports, they consulted judges and attorneys, and even conducted a mock trial with a jury. They continually found they couldn’t defeat the self-defense argument. Ethically, they can’t charge cases they know they can’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Officer Mensah was not charged.
On August 8, 2020, Officer Mensah and his girlfriend (also a police officer) were the targets of a not-so-peaceful protest. According to various reports, Mensah was at his girlfriend’s house that evening. He claimed they were assaulted and that shots were fired. One bullet broke a window in her home, and another came within inches of Mensah. There was also toilet paper thrown in her trees. In a Facebook post written the following morning, Officer Mensah wrote: Last night, protesters came to my girlfriend’s house while I was there, and tried to kill me. I was unarmed and tried to defend my property and the property of my girlfriend. We were both assaulted, punched, and ultimately shot at several times. A shotgun round missed me by inches. Not once did I ever swing back or reciprocate any [of] the hate that was being directed at me. I am all for peaceful protests, even against me, but this was anything but peaceful. They threw toilet paper in her trees, broke her windows, and again, shot at both of us as they were trying to kill me. There are children that live there and they knew that. The irony in all of this is that they chanted Black Lives Matter the entire time, but had zero regard for any of the black children that live there or me, a black man. Were the protesters hired thugs used to promote a political agenda? It certainly fits BLM’s profile. After reporters tried reaching Mensah for comment, he responded again on Facebook: There is a difference between a peaceful protest, and a plan to trespass on private property with the intent to damage it. My girlfriend and I had every right to defend the property from those that trespassed on it. At the end of the day, protesters chose to come to that house, no one forced them to. They chose to stay, they chose to damage property, they chose to assault us. Their decision to come onto the porch, continue their assault on unarmed and defenseless police officers, and ultimately try kill me was their decision, and their decision alone. The incident is currently under investigation and the evidence will speak for itself. The protesters, along with state Representative David Bowen (D-Milwaukee), reportedly stated that Mensah was the aggressor and, thus, was the reason for the attacks. It was later discovered that Bowen was part of that group of protesters. He was seen on video leaving a Target store with a group of people. This is significant because Bowen was holding a large package of toilet paper, and the video showed him walking out of the store with Tiffany Henry, the Milwaukee office director for U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin. Bowen is also seen on video at the protest itself; he is shown holding up a roll of toilet paper. The video also shows Mensah and his girlfriend being attacked by the protesters, and Mensah being hit over the head with a bullhorn. This contradicts a public statement from Bowen where he tried to blame Mensah for the incident. Neither Bowen nor Henry were arrested or charged in connection with the incident.
In October 2021, the Anderson family filed a civil lawsuit in federal court against Officer Mensah, former Wauwatosa Police Chief Barry Weber, and the city of Wauwatosa. The Anderson’s attorney, Motley, said that she looked forward to deposing Mensah under oath. According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit alleged the Wauwatosa Police Department trained Mensah (who is black) to view black people as dangerous, that the police department has a history of supporting racism going back some 40 years, and that Mensah violated Anderson’s constitutional rights. The family also is seeking undisclosed damages from the defendants, according to WISN 12 News. Joseph Mensah’s story could happen to any law-enforcement official who needs to use deadly force when confronting a suspect, especially if that suspect is armed. Why would a police officer put himself in that position? The officer would secondguess what he should do in that situation. If he shoots, will he be charged with a crime? If he doesn’t shoot, will he or others be shot? This puts law-enforcement officials in a tough spot, and it is one of the main reasons why recruitment is at an all-time low. The police are our protectors. We need them to ensure our communities — and, by extension, ourselves and our families — are safe. We need law and order. Without it, well, one just couldn’t imagine! It is time to stand with our law-enforcement officials. The police should not be punished for protecting us or themselves when all evidence reveals they were in the right. Enough with the political agendas that side with criminals and against our police officers. Protect and serve — that is what Officer Mensah did in all three incidents. It is time to let him move on with his life. I will close with the words of Officer Mensah: Despite having evidence PROVING I have done nothing wrong, I have been suspended without a reason, without an explanation, WITHOUT CAUSE. I sincerely hope all of my friends in the Law Enforcement community pay close attention to what’s being done to me. If you make the decision to defend your life, or the life of others, this is what will happen to you. It’s been made very clear to me that my life does not matter and never did. If I had died instead, none of this would be happening. Let all of that sink in….
