NEENAH (NBC 26) — A Neenah police officer has been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography and, as a result, has been fired from the department.
Neenah Police Chief Aaron Olson said in a news release Wednesday that on Monday, Kaukauna's chief of police advised Olson that Kaukauna police had received an Internet Crimes Against Children tip, and the suspect was Owen Halls, a Neenah police officer.
Olson said a plan was made to detain Halls, who was hired by Neenah PD on March 25, 2024. Kaukauna police executed multiple search warrants on Wednesday, according to Olson.
Police say Halls has been charged with two counts of possessing child pornography.
"Mr. Halls’ alleged conduct has disgraced our department, our citizens, and law enforcement as a whole. As a result, he has been terminated from our department, and we are following the process to have the Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB) decertify him as a Wisconsin Law Enforcement Officer.
As your police chief, I am sorry. We conduct very thorough backgrounds, but somehow, Mr. Halls was able to deceive all of us. I understand this will and should cause concern. In my seven years as your police chief, nothing has disappointed me more than the reported actions of this former officer.
Moving forward, I along with all our Neenah Police Department staff will work extremely hard to rebuild your trust. I would like to thank the Kaukauna Police Department for conducting a thorough investigation. I would also like to thank the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office, Winnebago County District Attorney's Office, and the Outagamie County District Attorney's Office, for their assistance in this matter."
Police say an investigation is ongoing and added they will not be releasing further information at this time.
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