Crash involving off-duty Marquette officer; police chief admits 'missteps'
MILWAUKEE - The Marquette University Police Department, in a letter sent only to FOX6 News, admitted several "missteps" in the investigation of a September 2023 crash involving one of its off-duty officers.
Colin Kelly came to us last year because he was concerned about a lack of accountability with this crash.
On Sept. 18, 2023, Kelly was one turn from home when his car was rear-ended near 22nd and Clybourn.
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The intersection falls within the jurisdiction of the Marquette University Police Department and the crash was caused by one of their off-duty officers.
Marquette University Police Department
"I'm sure they'll come out with a public statement," Kelly said at the time. "It'll sound real nice."
Officer: "Just two involved?"
Isaiah Espino: "Yeah, just me. I rear-ended him. That's my truck over there."
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Kelly said Espino admitted he was at fault on scene, but the initial crash report said otherwise. The responding officer said his co-worker, Espino, wasn't distracted.
The officer did not cite him. And though Espino said he had insurance, Kelly's provider confirmed he didn't, which is a violation of state law.
"That was so shocking," Kelly said.
After our story, the police amended their report and cited Espino for not having insurance and for following too closely. The department also started an internal investigation, which we requested when complete.
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That brings us to Chief Edith Hudson's letter. Hudson said Espino told management, not the author of the report, that he failed to see Kelly's car before the crash.
She added that Espino only learned his car insurance lapsed a few days after the crash. Still, Espino received a written reprimand for breaking the law.
We also asked why we only received one officer's body camera video, though four officers responded. Hudson said the officers admitted they simply forgot to activate them because the department only started using them full-time a few weeks before.
She closed by pointing to every step MUPD took to rectify the situation, which she says should "deter similar situations from occurring in the future."
Municipal court records show officer Espino paid both the citations.
Hudson also sent us a copy of a directive sent to her command staff around the time of our first stories on this case. It required them to remind all officers to turn their body cameras on when on assignments and follow up to ensure that's actually happening.