A Foundation Built on Professional Education

The Wisconsin Police Leadership Foundation (WPLF) grew out of a commitment to strengthen law enforcement training in Wisconsin. What began as a successful county-led winter conference ultimately inspired the creation of a charitable foundation dedicated to law enforcement education and advancement.

Genesis of the WPLF

Before the mid-1980s, the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association (WCPA) held only a summer conference. Its emphasis was primarily social, with a much smaller training component than today’s conferences.

Recognizing an opportunity to expand professional education, the Dane County Chiefs’ Association organized a Mid-Winter Training Conference open to all Wisconsin police chiefs. Held at a hotel on John Nolen Drive in Madison, the event was a resounding success, drawing attendance beyond the venue’s capacity and generating significant revenue.

“It was a proof of concept.”

— Dave Steingraber, then Chief of the Middleton Police Department

The conference demonstrated both the demand for additional training and its financial viability. Its organizers also recognized that an event of this size exceeded what a county chiefs’ association could reasonably manage.

The Dane County chiefs determined that the WCPA should assume responsibility for the conference. The winter event would emphasize training rather than the social activities associated with the summer conference. Vendors were not invited, and business meetings were excluded to keep the focus on professional education.

The Move Toward a Charitable Foundation

The WCPA Mid-Winter Conference continued to thrive, building the Association’s reserves and strengthening its financial stability. As conference revenue increased, however, leaders became concerned about the taxes associated with the event and explored charitable status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

At the time, the WCPA provided a $500 death benefit for Principal or Life Members. Because this benefit directed funds to members, it contributed to the Association’s treatment as a fraternal organization and complicated the pursuit of charitable status. The death benefit program was discontinued in 1991. The WCPA’s lobbying activities were another consideration in evaluating an appropriate organizational structure.

Leaders also considered how other law enforcement associations financed their conferences and operations. To avoid perceptions of favoritism, they wanted gifts, donations, and financial partnerships to be handled separately from members’ law enforcement agencies.

These discussions led to the proposal for a separate charitable foundation. The idea was not immediately unanimous: some leaders were concerned about the effect on conference revenue that had helped support the WCPA. Ultimately, the leadership agreed to establish the Wisconsin Police Leadership Foundation.

Formation of the WPLF

In the early 1990s, the leadership retained David Snow, Esq., of von Briesen and Purtell S.C., to draft articles of incorporation. Bylaws were also prepared to guide the new organization.

The WPLF Today

Today, the WPLF hosts the two annual WCPA Training Conferences and Expos. These events provide most of the Foundation’s income and remain central to its educational mission.