The Spinner Rack

A group of Milwaukee police officers with vigilante leanings wore black gloves and knit caps with logos of the Marvel character Punisher on patrol, according to documents cited in an investigative report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Some of the members of the group also “had Punisher skull stickers on their cars, lockers, and memo books.” One of the officers had a Punisher skull with the number “7” on his truck (most of the members of the group worked the late shift in District 7). Another, who had a Punisher tattoo, tried to buy an assault-style rifle similar to one used by the Punisher.

Some of the officers, called a “gang” in one internal Milwaukee Police Department report obtained by the newspaper, were involved in the brutal beating of Frank Jude, Jr., a bi-racial man accused of stealing a cop’s wallet and badge at an off-duty police party in October 2004. Jude accused the police who beat him of using racial epithets during the beating. No badge or wallet was ever found. Seven police officers were eventually convicted of civil rights violations in federal court in connection with the case, and nine officers were fired by the Milwaukee Police Department. The officer who attempted to buy an assault weapon was also convicted on another federal charge after trying to buy the gun while out on bail.

The documents exposing the secret group of “Punishers” were obtained by the Journal Sentinel in connection with a civil case filed by Jude against the city of Milwaukee and former Milwaukee police officers. The group reportedly continued to exist after the purge of the Department, including a police recruit with a Punisher tattoo who continues to serve on the force, despite a recommendation by an internal investigator that he be terminated.

One internal investigation from 2007 said of the group, “This is a group of rogue officers within our agency who I would characterize as brutal and abusive.”

A more benign real life “superhero” from Milwaukee came to light last year (see “Kick-Ass for Real”).