Kenosha Reporter

KENOSHA – The Kenosha Hometown Heroes Commission is pleased to announce Luke Hofmann is the Kenosha Hometown Hero for the Second Quarter of 2023. Hofmann was honored during the July 3 rd, 2023 Common Council meeting. 

The Kenosha Hometown Heroes Commission created this program to identify and recognize as Hometown Heroes worthy men and women who have served or are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces for their outstanding personal achievements and the positive contributions they make to the Kenosha community. Candidates must be born in, currently reside in, or have previously resided in ten (10) years or more at any time, in the City of Kenosha. 

The Second Quarter award winner joined the Army on January 13th, 1999 and was on active duty until June 20th, 2004 at which time he was honorably discharged. He completed Basic Training and Military Police (MP) Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort McClennan, Alabama. He was then transferred to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and was assigned to the 25th MP Company. 

His military education includes: Military Commercial Driver’s License Program and Safe Transportation of Hazardous Materials Training Course, Driver’s Training Course, Unit Armor Course, Night Vision Coordinators Course, as well as Firearms Instructor School and Range Officer School. 

As the unit armor, his platoon’s weapons and night vision goggles received a 100 percent success on all inspection for two straight years. Hofmann was his company’s Soldier of the Quarter twice in 2000 and finished second in Soldier of the Year. He was in the field, training when the attacks of New York occurred on September 11th, 2001 and was tasked to protect the US Military Hotel (Hale Koa) in Honolulu for the two weeks following the attacks. From there he was transferred to Fort Polk, Louisiana where he was assigned to the 204th MP company and deployed to Iraq. Luke was injured in a Humvee accident one month prior to his deployment, badly injuring his knee. Regardless of the injury he completed his entire tour in Baghdad with the bad knee and had surgery a month after he returned to the United States. 

Hofmann was hired by the Kenosha Police Department after his tour in the Army completed. He has spent the last 18 plus years proudly serving the citizens of Kenosha. He has received specialized training in Accident Investigations, Evidence Technician and Crisis Intervention Team Training. Hofmann served in the Accident Investigations Unit as well and is currently the Preliminary Hearing Court Officer and is the back-up Criminal Traffic and Juvenile Court Officer. 

Hofmann took over running the Kenosha County Crisis Intervention Team Training (CIT) in 2015. He is instrumental in the training of several hundred sworn law enforcement officers and just over 1000 civilians. Hofmann also runs the scenario training and has assisted Racine Crisis Intervention Training for ten years. Additionally, he travels across the state giving presentations on veterans with PTSD and Officer Wellness. He has spoken to over 2000 people and consistently has positive impacts with everyone he interacts with. Hofmann has been a guest speaker at the Wisconsin National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI) Conference five times. 

Hofmann also volunteers his time as a youth baseball and football coach having coached the thirdfourth and fifth grade football teams at Christian Life. He has coached every age of boys in baseball from five years old through high school. He currently is the coach of the Kiwanis Subaru Sluggers in Kenosha for 16-18 year old young men. He has participated in the Kenosha Police Department “Shop with a Cop” as well as the annual kite fest at Lincoln Park. 

Hofmann was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (2nd Award), Army Good Conduct medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global, War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon. As a civilian he has been awarded the 2016 Kenosha County David Wagner Mental Health Advocacy Award for his work within the mental health community. He was also awarded the 2019 NAMI State of Wisconsin CIT Officer of the Year for his work throughout the state within the mental health community. His timely actions in crisis situations and outstanding presentations on mental illness to the community have received numerous and unsolicited kudos and letter of commendation. 

Original source can be found here.