Soupnutz Exclusive:

Campus Cops, No Campus Boundaries: UWS Police Are Writing Tickets on City Streets — But Who Signed Off ?

They’re Supposed to Patrol Campus. So Why Are They Pulling You Over on Belknap?

Let’s get something straight: we didn’t stumble on this story by accident. The Soupnutz crew started digging after multiple residents of Superior came forward with eerily similar reports.

Citizens are being pulled over by University of Wisconsin–Superior (UWS) campus police in areas near campus, issued traffic citations—or pulled over and just released like nothing happened.

Your Street Isn’t Campus Property—But UWS Cops Don’t Seem to Know That

Here’s the thing: streets like Catlin, Belknap, Faxon, and Weeks Avenue are not UWS property.

They are  city streets, city sidewalks, and primarily made up of residential homes. 

Yet UWS police are operating like these streets are part of their turf. They’re writing citations. Making stops. Pulling over drivers in what appears to be a game of “Let’s See What Sticks.” 

What’s more alarming is what’s not in their 2025 Clery Act Crime Log:

• Not a single routine traffic stop.

• No speeding tickets.

• No stop sign violations

The Clery Report operates under the assumption that what’s being logged are on-campus incidents involving campus-affiliated individuals. But these stops? They’re neither. These are citizens, on public streets, being pulled over by campus cops, for traffic infractions that are not on campus property—and yet, they’re conspicuously absent from the logs.

UWS police aren’t required to report traffic stops under Clery—but let’s not pretend they’re shy about logging everything else. They’ll document a busted vape pen in Curran Hall at 2:14 AM, but somehow a citizen stop on Belknap or Catlin doesn’t make the cut? What are they keeping off the books—and why?

Let’s be real: these aren’t student safety stops. They’re may be off-campus revenue traps. At the bare minimum, they should be logged for public accountability—because if you’re pulling over residents with university resources, the public absolutely has a right to know.

And here’s the kicker: How much money is being generated from these stops?
Is Douglas County quietly raking in fines from UWS-initiated tickets?

Is UWS getting a cut?

Where’s the trail? And who’s cashing in?
Because until someone shows receipts, this whole operation looks less like campus safety now, and more like a side hustle in a UWS Campus uniform.

We’re Filing FOIAs to Find Out What the Hell’s Going On

To cut through the fog, Soupnutz has submitted formal FOIA requests to:

• The Superior Police Department, and

• Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

We’ve requested documentation—memorandums, mutual aid agreements, or emergency powers—that would authorize UWS police to enforce laws off-campus.

Fired from City Police? Get Hired by UWS Campus Cops!

As if this wasn’t wild enough, UWS’s own Chief Joseph Eickman, plain as day, said that they hire officers who’ve been let go from other departments.

Joseph Eickman said:

“Everyone deserves a second chance.”

We agree—people can grow. They can improve. But that second chance doesn’t need to come with a taxpayer funded badge, squad car, and a gun.  And maybe they shouldn’t be able to pull over people who never signed up to be policed by a UWS cop. 

When a Superior PD officer gets fired for cause, the citizens of Superior have a reasonable expectation that they won’t run into that officer again—especially not on a random side street getting written up for a traffic infraction.

Hiring failed officers might be Chief Joseph Eickman‘s view of public safety and UWS’s gamble, but letting them enforce off-campus is now a taxpayer problem.

Citizens Didn’t Vote for Campus Cops. So Why Are They Policing You?

Let’s recap what we’re dealing with:

• UWS cops are enforcing laws on streets that aren’t campus property.

• They’re potentially using officers rejected or removed from other departments.

• They aren’t voluntarily logging traffic stops in the Clery report.

• And now citizens are reporting repeated stops on public streets.

If you’re thinking, “Wait, I didn’t vote for this,” you’re damn right.
And if someone authorized this, we’re going to find out who.

If you’ve been pulled over by UWS police off-campus ?
We want your story.

Send it to Soupnutz sunlightinsuperior@mailfence.com. 

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” -Benjamin Franklin

Sources: 

Badger Project

UWS Clery Report