Law enforcement cases rarely stay inside one jurisdiction. When data lives in separate CAD, RMS, jail, and partner systems, the trail gets harder to see. Investigators end up re-running the same searches, calling neighboring agencies for basic context, or manually reconciling records that do not quite match—costing time when speed and clarity matter most.
Wisconsin’s new law aims to reduce that friction by funding modern data-sharing platforms, especially in the Milwaukee area, through grants administered by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ). Act 58 does not just encourage agencies to share data, but it also defines the acceptable aspects of data-sharing technology that would qualify for this grant.
Why Data Sharing Matters Now
Modern policing increasingly depends on integrated, accessible data rather than fragmented systems. A Police Chief Magazine article highlights how cloud-based tools and real-time crime centers help teams act faster by delivering multiagency information, video, and geospatial data in seconds, enabling collaboration across personnel and departments.
Data sharing matters for effective public safety outcomes, which increasingly require reliable data sharing and interoperability, not isolated systems. Systems must protect criminal justice information, support accountability, and remain usable in real-world operations. That is why Wisconsin’s new program does not just say “share data.” It sets specific technical and security requirements that funded platforms must meet.
Which Agencies Are Eligible for Wisconsin Act 58 Grants?
Act 58 defines eligible applicants by cross-reference: “law enforcement agency” has the meaning in Wis. Stat. §165.98(1). It generally includes:
- Agencies of a political subdivision of Wisconsin (e.g., city/village/town police departments, county sheriff’s offices), and
- Agencies of a federally recognized Indian tribe or band whose employees are authorized to make arrests, and
- It explicitly includes the Marquette University Police Department.
It also explicitly excludes state agencies (for example, statewide law enforcement agencies/departments would not qualify).
What Grant Funding Amounts Are Available?
The justice portion of the Wisconsin budget provides up to $2,000,000 in grant funding annually to law enforcement agencies in the Milwaukee area. This budget also specifies that the funding is “…annually on a one-time basis to the Joint Committee on Finance’s supplemental GPR appropriation for potential release to law enforcement agencies …”
Once the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Joint Committee on Finance go through the process to release the funds, the DOJ should be able to post the grant application and the associated timeline.
What Conditions Must Be Met to Use Wisconsin’s Act 58 Grant Funds?
Wisconsin’s data-sharing grant program began as Senate Bill 279 during the 2025 to 2026 legislative session. The enacted law created Wisconsin Statute 165.981, which directs the DOJ to award grants to law enforcement agencies for the acquisition of a data-sharing platform. The grant authority also includes a clear end date, with no grant awards after June 30, 2027.
Act 58 also specifies the capabilities that data-sharing platforms must have to qualify for the grant. Under Statute 165.981, Wisconsin agencies that receive grant funds must use them to acquire a platform that meets the following requirements:
- The data-sharing platform must integrate data from common law enforcement systems on a real-time basis.
- It needs to be able to identify and eliminate redundant records in law enforcement systems.
- The technology must provide advanced, configurable search, analytics, and visualization capabilities that support the needs of law enforcement.
- The data-sharing platform must allow law enforcement agencies to restrict information access by data type, organization, roles, responsibilities, individual investigations, and other parameters.
- It needs to allow secure, permission-controlled data integration and sharing among participating law enforcement agencies.
- The platform needs to be accessible on various devices commonly used by law enforcement agencies.
- The data-sharing platform has a demonstrated record of meeting or exceeding similar mission needs and has the ability to reach full operational capability within 90 days of initiation.
- The technology must allow for integration with existing law enforcement agency identity and access management solutions, such as single-sign-on and multifactor authentication.
- The data-sharing platform must be hosted in a secure environment that is compliant with Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) standards that can scale to meet law enforcement data needs.
- The technology must be able to provide granular audit logging for all user interactions with data.
- The data-sharing platform provides an open, interoperable architecture and business terms that ensure the law enforcement agency retains all rights to agency data.
Does CrimeTracer and Its Data-Sharing Capabilities Qualify?
CrimeTracer™, SoundThinking’s investigative solution, directly supports Act 58’s core intent: a technology that can integrate common law enforcement systems, reduce redundant records, and give agencies configurable search, analytics, and visualization to support real-time operational needs.
CrimeTracer, formerly COPLINK X, was initially developed over 20 years ago to break down data silos to enhance and accelerate investigations. It has been referred to as the “Google for Cops” and has access to the largest investigative data set in the industry – over 1 billion CJIS records, including more than 300,000 records in Wisconsin.
The newest version of CrimeTracer, known as CrimeTracer Gen3, takes these capabilities even further. Gen3 is built as an agency-wide crime data platform that brings CAD/RMS and other internal systems together with partner data and public records via Thomson Reuters CLEAR® so teams can search, analyze, and brief from a single environment.
CrimeTracer Gen3 supports advanced search and analysis workflows and includes operational views in the Trends Dashboard, allowing agencies to create and save multiple dashboards by crime type, hotspot area, patrol area, or other criteria, then pull them up instantly for briefings, investigative updates, CompStat-style reviews, and day-to-day decision-making. On the investigative side, features like Case Folders help teams organize and save evolving work, connect related incidents and entities across sources, and collaborate without losing context, which is exactly the kind of “faster insight from unified data” outcome Act 58 aims to fund.
Wisconsin’s Act 58 also emphasizes CJIS-compliant hosting, strong access controls, secure sharing, alignment with MFA/SSO, and granular audit logging. CrimeTracer Gen3 operates within CJIS-compliant boundaries using role-based access controls set by the agency, encryption in transit and at rest, and detailed audit logs that track who accessed what and when for accountability.
Build Your Act 58 Plan Now
Get ready for the Wisconsin Act 58 data-sharing grant. The statute establishes the grant authority and requirements and assigns the Wisconsin DOJ the authority to award grants. Here’s what to do right now:
- Visit the Wisconsin DOJ Grants page.
- Review the linked “Grant Opportunities” and “How to Submit a Grant Application” resources.
- Familiarize yourself with the state’s process so you can move quickly as soon as this specific program appears.
Bring in expert support. Partner with professional grant writers or consultants who specialize in public safety funding. Their expertise can sharpen your application and align your proposal with funder priorities.
Leverage your technology vendors. Companies like SoundThinking have extensive experience helping agencies navigate grant funding. Reach out to them for guidance on identifying the right opportunities, building a compelling case for technology investments, and strengthening your application from start to finish.
Don’t wait for application deadlines to start preparing. Develop a clear funding strategy well in advance so your agency is ready to act the moment opportunities open
Be Prepared for the Act 58 Grant Application
Wisconsin’s Act 58 is clear about what qualifies for the grant: real-time integration across core systems, reduced duplication, advanced search and analytics, strict access controls, CJIS-aligned security, and auditability. The opportunity is not just funding for the initial data-sharing program; it is a chance to replace slow, manual workarounds with a structured approach to interoperability that supports investigations, patrol decisions, and command-level accountability.
The best next step is to get grant-ready now. Inventory the systems you need to connect, define sharing and governance rules, choose a vendor, build a plan to meet the 90-day operational requirement, and explore longer-term funding options. SoundThinking is happy to work with agencies through the grant application process.
Contact us to see how CrimeTracer Gen3 meets the Act 58 requirements and learn how SoundThinking can help your agency with the Wisconsin grant funding.
