District Attorney Dashboard
Introducing Our Dashboard
I believe that citizens deserve public servants who are as transparent as possible. This is hard, talking about any one specific case. Ethics rules prohibit us from talking about cases before someone is found guilty. And victims deserve as much privacy and dignity as we can give them. I should not -- and will not -- tell anyone that a particular case did not go to trial on the most severe charge because the victim begged us to resolve it so they did not have to testify and relive their trauma in open court.
So where does that leave us? How can a public servant committed to transparency be transparent, when he can't talk about the specifics of what he does? This data dashboard is the best answer we have so far. Here, you can find information about the number of cases, types of cases, and outcomes of cases in our community.
A dashboard cannot capture the hard work of our officers who investigate crimes or our attorneys who prosecute the offenders. A graph will never show you the moments of hard, human empathy of victim-witness professionals, or the difficult decisions a judge has to make when passing some sentences. But it can, at least, give some real insight into what is happening in our community's system for justice and public safety.
Key Dashboard Takeaways
Where We Are Doing Well
Of the 2,540 criminal cases that closed in Rock County in 2025, only 7 (0.28%) resulted in the accused being found "not guilty." This is a reflection of the good work - day in and day out - of our local law enforcement and prosecutors.Explore Case Disposition →- By using common sense diversion for low-level offenders, we can focus our limited resources on the serious and violent crimes. In 2025, sex offenders were sent to prison more than 6x as often as those committing property crimes.Explore Case Sentencing →
Where We Can Improve
The "COVID backlog" slowed down an already underfunded criminal justice system. While we have sped up how long it takes to resolve cases in Rock County, we have not yet reached the pre-COVID timetables.Explore Time to Disposition →What Is Next
This dashboard does not exist only for the citizens of Rock County. It exists for the District Attorney to review as well. These data will be automatically updated every year, and our office is committed to reviewing the data to ensure that everyone is treated as fairly and equitably as possible.
Key Dates in Wisconsin's Criminal Justice System
When exploring the Rock County DA Dashboard, there are important law and policy changes and events to account for. When interpreting this dashboard, consider whether these changes could explain a sudden change in the data.
Evidence-Based Decisions Making
Wisconsin implements evidence-based decision making program to establish and test the application of evidence-based practices to criminal justice decisions, with the goal of achieving measureable reductions in pretrial misconduct and post-conviction risk of reoffending
Marsy's Law
Voters approve an amendment to the Wisconsin Consitution that adds 17 specific rights for crime victims to the state constitution. The amendment includes rights to privacy, timely notice of release, full restitution from the accused, and notification of all proceedings of a criminal case upon request
Increased Penalties for Carjacking
Wisconsin Legislature passes legsialtion to increase penalties for crimes such as carjacking with a weapon, unlawful drug distribution resulting in death, and reckless-driving.
Bail Reforms
2023 Wisconsin Act 3 implements changes to the Wisconsin Constitution that alter how bail and pre-trial release can be determined: under the new rules judges may consider public-safety risk and prior violent-crime convictions when setting bail or conditions of release
This dashboard was created through the collaboration of the Rock County District Attorney's Office, Loyola University Chicago's Center for Criminal Justice, Mindful Metrics, and the Prosecutorial Performance Indicators. The goal of the dashboard is to ensure that the general public has access to data about the review and prosecution of criminal cases in Rock County. This project has been supported by Microsoft and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
