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Cafferty & Scheidegger, S.C.
Criminal Defense in Racine

Racine, WI Criminal Defense Attorney

Criminal defense in the City of Racine, Racine PD, Municipal Court, County Circuit Court. Founded 1994, based two blocks from the courthouse at 840 Lake Avenue.

Free Case Review Call (262) 632-5000
77,000+ Population U.S. Census 2023 est.
15.6 sq mi Area U.S. Census
Racine County Seat Racine County
2 blocks from courthouse Our Office 840 Lake Ave

Criminal Defense in the City of Racine

Cafferty & Scheidegger has represented clients in Racine County Circuit Court and Racine Municipal Court continuously since 1994. Our office at 840 Lake Avenue is two blocks from the county courthouse. Patrick Cafferty has tried more than 50 homicide cases in this courthouse alone.

Racine is the county seat and the criminal-case hub for the entire county. Every felony filed by a Racine County law enforcement agency ends up in the courthouse at 730 Wisconsin Avenue. That concentration means the prosecutors, branches, and courthouse culture matter enormously to outcomes.

What’s Distinctive About Racine Criminal Practice

  • High-volume courthouse, personal-scale community. Racine County Circuit Court processes the felony and serious-misdemeanor volume of a mid-sized Wisconsin city while operating with just 10 branches. Judges and ADAs know defense counsel by reputation.
  • Active urban PD with a community-prosecution arm. Racine PD partners with the DA’s office on hot-spot prosecutions. Bond conditions and prosecutorial posture often reflect that partnership.
  • I-94 bleed-over. Many “Racine cases” actually originate on I-94 and get routed to the county courthouse. State Patrol and Racine County Sheriff share that caseload.
  • Federal overlap. Joint state-federal investigations (drug, firearms, gang) are common. A case that starts as a state arrest can end up federally indicted.

How We Handle a Racine Case

From the moment you retain us, we’re in the courthouse that’s two blocks away. We attend your bond hearing, negotiate with the ADA assigned to your branch, review discovery including bodycam and dashcam, file appropriate motions (suppression, dismissal, Franks, Bruton), and prepare the case for trial if needed.

Related Racine & Racine County Pages

Our Full Practice

Most Common Criminal Charges in Racine

  • OWI, highest volume in the county; State Patrol and Racine PD both file
  • Disorderly conduct (§ 947.01), especially in downtown/Monument Square area
  • Drug possession and sales, Chapter 961
  • Domestic violence / DC with DV modifier
  • Retail theft, Regency Mall and Sam's Club / Target retail corridor
  • Battery, simple and substantial
  • Theft and burglary
  • Firearms charges, § 941.29 felon in possession cases from joint state-federal investigations

Courts in Racine

Racine County Circuit Court

730 Wisconsin Avenue, Racine, WI 53403

Phone: (262) 636-3333

Official website →

All Racine-filed felonies and most misdemeanors are heard here. 10 branches. Our main office is two blocks away at 840 Lake Avenue.

Racine Municipal Court

730 Center Street, Racine, WI 53403

Phone: (262) 636-9171

Official website →

Ordinance-level disorderly conduct, traffic, and other city-ordinance cases. Many criminal § 947.01 DC cases can be negotiated down to municipal-ordinance violations at this court.

Law Enforcement Agencies Serving Racine

Racine Police Department

City of Racine

Non-emergency: (262) 886-2300

Official website →

Primary law-enforcement agency within city limits. Also runs the city's community-prosecution and domestic-violence response units.

Racine County Sheriff's Office

Shared jurisdiction in and around Racine; runs the Racine County Jail

Non-emergency: (262) 636-3213

Wisconsin State Patrol

I-94 through Racine; commercial-vehicle inspections

FBI, Milwaukee Field Office

Federal offenses in Racine

Non-emergency: (414) 276-4684

High-Enforcement Corridors

  • Highway 32 (Main Street / Sheridan Road), north-south along Lake Michigan through the heart of the city
  • Highway 20 (Washington Avenue), east-west arterial connecting to I-94
  • Highway 11 (Durand Avenue), south-side corridor to Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant
  • Highway 38 (Douglas Avenue), north-south on the west side
  • I-94 approach (via Highway 20), 6 miles west of downtown

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do Racine criminal cases get filed?
Criminal cases (misdemeanors and felonies) filed by Racine PD go to Racine County Circuit Court at 730 Wisconsin Ave. Ordinance-level violations go to Racine Municipal Court at 730 Center Street. Many criminal disorderly-conduct cases can be negotiated down to a municipal citation at the initial appearance.
Which agency responded if I was arrested in Racine?
Inside the City of Racine, first-response is almost always Racine Police Department (262-886-2300). Racine County Sheriff deputies may respond to jail-intake or overlap scenes. State Patrol handles most I-94 stops, even when the vehicle was headed into Racine.
Is Cafferty & Scheidegger's office in Racine?
Yes. Our main office is at 840 Lake Avenue, Suite 300, Racine, WI 53403, two blocks from the Racine County Courthouse. We have been in Racine since 1994.
Do Racine courts allow remote appearances?
Racine County Circuit Court uses Zoom for many pretrial conferences, status hearings, and some motion arguments. In-person attendance is required for the initial appearance, preliminary hearing, trial, and sentencing. Racine Municipal Court also permits remote appearances for many ordinance cases. Counsel can often handle procedural dates without the client present.

Charged in Racine? We defend across Racine County.

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