Fired Milwaukee police detective lied about having gun after drunk crash, body camera shows

The Milwaukee Police Department declined my request last year for this video saying they wouldn't release it until Swenson's criminal case was over. That happened last month.

When Milwaukee police officers responded to the single vehicle crash at Holly and stayed in March

of 2024, you Nicole, yes,

Nicole Swenson. Yeah, it didn't

take long for them to realize it involved one of their own.

What happened to your face? My face? Yeah. Bruised up pretty bad.

Body camera video shows officers find Detective Nicole Swenson standing next to a Good Samaritans car who pulled over to help.

What was the spot to your car then?

They ask her to look at the SUV with them.

Where's the tire? I have no idea.

That's where she claims her friend was to blame. Is there any reason why your friend was to blame?

Yeah.

What?

What's the reason why she was to blame?

Probably because she was drinking.

Swenson enters a driver's seat to gather her belongings.

Is there any firearms in there?

No.

No firearms?

No.

Okay. Open records reveal a detective reviewed this body camera video and saw Swenson remove a quote holstered firearm from her center console and put it in her purse.

Are you okay ma'am? I'm fine. Okay.

But you said you were drinking though tonight? Ma'am.

Officers ask Swenson to get in a squad. Instead she goes back to the Good Samaritan's car.

I really just don't think that there's any obligation that I have to stay down here.

I'm telling you.

Officers then order Swenson out of the car for a standard field sobriety test.

Six, seven, eight, nine.

And body camera shows the officer conducting the test determines she failed.

Sorry, it feels bad.

Do you know why we're here?

In this blurred video, detectives followed up with the Good Samaritan.

I don't know if that lady was trying to pull with you, but she was drunk.

Internal police records revealed Swenson was taken to the hospital, found to have a blood alcohol content double the legal limit. What we can't see is Swenson being questioned at a police district. Police records say that's when a lieutenant looked down and said your gun is right here in this bag.

What you did here was really so dangerous. Last month she was sentenced to a year of probation for operating a firearm while intoxicated a misdemeanor crime. Her attorney also told the judge that she was in fact the driver.

Hello, is this Ms. Swenson? I called Swenson on Friday to request an interview about what the body camera video shows. She declined to comment. MPD sent me a statement that reads in part, the Milwaukee Police Department recognizes

the troubling events involving dishonest behavior of a former detective which resulted in that individual's discharge of a former detective which resulted in that individual's discharge from the department.