Racine Sheriff: On the Clock

ACTIVE INVESTIGATION — AUDIT TRAIL PENDING

A campaign message, two conflicting duty rosters, and the unproduced audit trail that could show when the official record changed.

Featured question

Was the roster corrected to reflect an approved absence—or changed after a campaign warning to place the candidate off the clock?

The campaign message

At 10:57 a.m. on June 3, 2026, Captain Cary Madrigal—a 2026 candidate for Racine County Sheriff—sent a group text to 18 people she addressed as fellow women in law enforcement at the Racine County Sheriff’s Office, inviting them to her June 17 campaign fundraiser.

Her message reportedly included: “Thought I’d get the invite out before I return to work at 11am.”

A timestamped screenshot taken at 12:57 p.m. that same day reportedly showed one continuous approved entry: REG — Regular Duty, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.—not vacation, a split shift, or an 11:00 a.m. start.

One morning, three explanations

• Scheduled 11:00 a.m. start — Suggested by Madrigal’s own 10:57 a.m. message.
• Doctor’s appointment — After a 12:25 p.m. warning from citizen Harry Wait (“can’t campaign while on duty”), Madrigal replied at 4:06 p.m. that she had been off for a doctor’s appointment and began work at 11:00 a.m. She copied District Attorney Patricia Hanson at a personal email address.
• Pre-approved command vacation — On July 15, 2026, the county produced a roster with VAC-EX CMD 8:00–11:00 a.m. and REG 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Those explanations are materially different. The contemporaneous 12:57 p.m. screenshot reportedly displayed none of them.

Two rosters cannot both be accurate

June 3 screenshot: Regular duty 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
July 15 county production: Command vacation 8:00–11:00 a.m.; regular duty 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Unless the original screenshot was inaccurate or incomplete, the official record appears to have changed after 12:57 p.m. on June 3. Open questions include when it changed, who changed it, what authorized the change, and whether the change came before or after the campaign warning and Madrigal’s afternoon explanation.

The record that could settle it

Racine County reportedly uses the UKG scheduling system, which maintains an audit history of roster edits—user account, date/time, and prior values. H.O.T. requested that audit trail on July 15. The county confirmed a preservation directive. As of July 27, 2026, the audit trail had not been produced.

Election-timing concern

Corporation Counsel estimated production within about three weeks of July 22 (~August 12, 2026). The sheriff’s primary was scheduled for August 11, 2026—one day earlier. Timing alone does not prove intentional delay, but it raises a public-interest concern if voters cast ballots before the decisive county-controlled record is available.

A separate solicitation question

Even if Madrigal was properly off duty at 10:57 a.m., the invitation went to 18 Sheriff’s Office personnel, and the fundraiser listing invited campaign donations. Wisconsin’s campaign-solicitation statute (Wis. Stat. § 11.1207) may require examining whether recipients were on duty—not only the sender’s status. An after-the-fact change to Madrigal’s roster would not answer that. Whether any statute was violated remains an open question for investigation, not a final adjudication.

Key findings

• A campaign fundraising invitation was sent at 10:57 a.m. to 18 people associated with the Sheriff’s Office.
• A same-day timestamped roster screenshot reportedly showed regular duty 8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
• Madrigal said she began work at 11:00 a.m. after a doctor’s appointment.
• The county later produced a different roster showing command vacation until 11:00 a.m.
• The contemporaneous screenshot and later production cannot both be complete and accurate at the same moment.
• The UKG audit trail that should show when and by whom the roster changed remains outstanding.
• Recipients’ duty status is a separate issue from Madrigal’s own leave coding.
• The county’s estimated production window fell after the August 11 primary.

Evidence library (documents sought / cited)

• June 3 campaign group message (time, recipients, “return to work at 11am” statement)
• Timestamped June 3 roster screenshot (12:57 p.m.)
• Harry Wait email warning (12:25 p.m.)
• Madrigal response (4:06 p.m.) and inclusion of DA Hanson
• July 15 county roster production (VAC-EX CMD / REG split)
• UKG audit trail — requested, not produced
• Preservation correspondence
• Fundraiser listing (contribution language)
• Wis. Stat. §§ 11.1207 and 19.37

H.O.T. Government’s position

H.O.T.’s interpretation of the available documents is that a campaign message was sent while the official roster showed regular duty; Madrigal was notified the same day; the roster later appeared in a form matching her explanation; and the audit record that could resolve when and why it changed remained unavailable before the election.

“On the clock when it happened. Off the clock by the time anyone could check.”

That is organizational opinion based on available documents—not a judicial finding of fraud, record falsification, or a campaign-law violation.

Editorial and legal note

Established by the records presented: a campaign message at 10:57 a.m.; a same-day screenshot showing regular duty; Madrigal’s claim of an 11:00 a.m. start; a later county roster showing vacation until 11:00 a.m.; and a still-unproduced UKG audit trail as of July 27.

Not yet established: who changed the roster, when, whether the change was improper, whether the original roster contained an administrative error, whether Madrigal knowingly campaigned while on duty, whether any recipient was unlawfully solicited, or whether any statute was violated. Until the audit trail and related records are produced, conclusions about intent remain labeled as questions or organizational opinion.

This investigation is separate from Racine Sheriff: Off the Books, which examines the Sheriff’s Office response to complaints involving Preston Kite. Medical details should not be publicly sought beyond what is necessary to verify the employment-record issue.