DeForest police chief on paid administrative leave after controversial YouTube video surfaces

Rose Schmidt by Rose Schmidt



Via vi.deforest.wi.us



The chief of the DeForest Police Department has been put on paid administrative leave, according to officials with the Village of DeForest.

Chief Dan Furseth has been on administrative leave since May 23, Village Administrator Steve Fahlgren said.

News 3 approached Furseth at his home Friday morning, but he declined to speak with News 3, saying he was “busy.”

Village President Judd Blau said Furseth was placed on leave after a YouTube video surfaced of what appears to be him making racist comments about a group of black men.

Fahlgren said the video is at least 10 years old and was posted to the social media site in 2015

by someone who was “disgruntled” with the police department.

The village hired someone to look into “other potential social media racial misconduct,” Fahlgren said.

“We don’t want our department to have a bad reputation,” Fahlgren said.

Prior to serving as police chief, Furseth was a lieutenant with the department.

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