Thomas Casper dies after 31 years in law enforcement in Milwaukee and Brookfield
Thomas Casper, a 30-year veteran of the Milwaukee Police Department who later joined the Brookfield Police Department, died Monday after more than a year of battling cancer.
Casper took over Milwaukee's homicide unit in 2019 and led it during almost the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic – an extraordinarily challenging time for investigators, who at one point had to navigate their own outbreak within the unit while trying to keep up with historic rates of violence in the city.
“We’re very heartbroken and we send all our condolences to Tom’s family,” Milwaukee homicide Det. Rose Galindo said. “He was kindhearted, he was humble. He was compassionate. He always talked about his family.”
Casper retired as a captain at the Milwaukee Police Department in September 2021 but continued his law enforcement career as a lieutenant with the Brookfield Police Department until his death.
Brookfield police Capt. Chris Garcia reflected on his relationship with Casper as he detailed the type of person that his late colleague was.
"Tom was a consummate professional, an extremely talented, yet humble, man," Garcia said. "He never sought attention or recognition of any kind, he never complained, he just did his job, and did it extremely well."
A statement from Brookfield police credited Casper for turning that department into lead agency with the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team, which pools resources to investigate fatal police shootings, in-custody deaths and other incidents.
"His calming presence and humble nature will be missed by everyone in the law enforcement community who has had the privilege and honor of knowing or working with him," the release said. "The City of Brookfield Police Department is a better place and the City of Brookfield is a safer city because of our affiliation with Thomas Casper."
After graduating from Marquette University in 1990, Casper began his career as a patrol officer in Milwaukee’s District Seven. As he earned promotions to detective and lieutenant, he worked in the department’s robbery, violent crimes, vice and homicide units.
He was promoted to captain in 2019 and began overseeing the homicide unit. That year, the fourth consecutive in which Milwaukee saw a declining number of homicides, the department had a 77% clearance rate, about 16 percentage points higher than the national average, according to the FBI.
But fortunes changed the following year with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic as homicides jumped 29% nationally – the largest national rise in homicides since at least 1960, according to an analysis by the New York Times.
Milwaukee would go on to set new homicide records in 2020 and 2021, and its clearance rate fell to around 50% because of the sheer volume of cases.
Even after his cancer diagnosis, Galindo said Casper's dedication to his job never wavered. After coming into work one day following a chemotherapy appointment, she asked him why he was not at home resting.
"No, that’s not me," she recalled him saying. "I’m not going to sit on my couch all day and think about how I have cancer. This is what’s good for my mind – coming into work."
Casper is survived by his wife, Rosie; daughter, Ashley; son, Anthony; son-in-law, Michael; and parents, Thomas Sr. and Sandy. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Beck Andrew Salgado can be reached at 512-568-4070 or Bsalgado@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Beck_Salgado
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brookfield Police Lt. Thomas Casper dies after battle with cancer
