A sick Milwaukee police officer was turned away by TWO Froedtert “FastCare” clinics because he had a department-issued firearm while in uniform, the memo that he filed with the department reveals.
The April 7, 2025, memo, which WRN obtained via an open records request with MPD, also indicates that the officer ended up going without any treatment until the next day, even though one of his symptoms was shortness of breath. The memo also reveals that, at the first clinic, other patients in the waiting room defended the officer, but to no avail.
The memo documents the exhaustive day-long odyssey the officer went through just trying to get his symptoms checked out.
Read the memo here: FAST CARE CLINIC MEMO-1
This is the same officer who Wisconsin Right Now first wrote about on April 15 after receiving a tip.
Froedtert’s refusal to treat the on-duty Milwaukee police officer sparked outrage from a group of legislators and earned an apology from Froedtert’s president of the south region, Bryce Gartner. Gartner also assured that “weapons in the possession of authorized security and law enforcement officers are permitted on our property. We are working to clarify our policies and educate our team members to help ensure this does not happen again.”
Gartner admitted that the Milwaukee police officer, whose name is being held for his privacy, was “recently turned away for seeking care while dressed in uniform and carrying a department-issued firearm.”
However, the memo reveals that the officer was turned away by not one, but two Froedtert clinics because of his firearm – one in the City of Milwaukee and one in Greenfield.
The memo was filed by the officer on April 7. It reads “Fast Care Clinic Froedtert – Refusal to Treat.”
“I was instructed to file this Memorandum in regards to being refused to be seen/treated by staff at a ‘Froedtert FastCare Walk-In Clinic’ upon seeing that I arrived in full uniform (including department-issued firearm),” the memo says.
On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the officer called and scheduled an appointment with the Froedtert FastCare Walk-In Clinic located at 1271 N. 6th St. in Milwaukee at 10 a.m. for that same morning.
The officer had a headache, sinus pressure, pain in his chest, shortness of breath, hard cough, and possible fever.
Upon arrival at his appointment, he was greeted by a woman at the check-in desk who asked if he had an appointment. “Upon responding yes, she mentioned that they will not be seeing/treating me due to her noticing I had my department-issued firearm on my person (full uniform). She mentioned that Froedtert has a no firearms policy and suggested I leave it in my squad or with my partner. I explained we are not allowed to leave our department-issued firearms unsecured and that currently I was not with a partner,” the officer wrote.
“I then questioned when this policy took into effect, in particularly when did it pertain to law enforcement. The staff member, from what I recall, stated it’s been in effect for many years.”
“At that moment, a few patients waiting in the waiting area overheard the conversation and stated that they believed that there was a law or exemption for law enforcement, but received the same answer I did regarding their policy. She again told me that per their policy, at which time she pointed to a sign on the wall reading no guns allowed on premises, they would not be seeing-treating me.”
The officer thanked her for her time and left the clinic to return to the District Two station, the memo says.
After returning to the station, the officer was approached by a fellow officer who expressed concern after overhearing the officer was refused treatment and contacted the management involved in the FastCare Clinic program with the city of Milwaukee and inquired if the policy indeed pertained to law enforcement.
“He then told me that per his conversation, the staff was incorrect and I should have been seen/treated.”
The officer said he had given them his name. A short time later, the officer was contacted via phone by a staff member with the FastCare Clinic Program who said her name was Jennifer. “She apologized and explained that the staff member I had spoken to during my appointment was incorrect and that I should have been treated/seen,” the memo says.
Due to his symptoms, she inquired if he was willing to set up another appointment to be seen at a different clinic.
For that reason, the officer tried to set up a second appointment at the Froedtert FastCare Walk-In Clinic at 5800 W. Layton Ave. at the Greenfield Meijer after he finished his tour of duty.
He contacted the Greenfield Meijer Clinic by telephone to make an appointment and explained “that I would be going there directly from work and would be in full uniform, which would include my department-issued firearm.”
“I was then informed that they unfortunately would not be able to see-treat me due to their policy. They did state they could check with their management but were fairly confident the outcome would remain the same. I then canceled the appointment,” the officer wrote.
The following day, Thursday, April 3, 2025, the officer was finally able to get treatment at the Walk-In Clinic located in the Zeidler Municipal Building at 841 N Broadway, Milwaukee. “While there, I was diagnosed with a sinus infection, having a small amount of fluid behind around my eardrums, and Bronchitis. I was also given treatment in office and prescribed medication,” the memo states.
