
Bryan Polcyn
If there's one thing I've learned after 30 years in radio and television news, it's this -- don't yell at a guy with a gun.
I've been known to get caught up in the moment, especially on 'unscheduled' interviews. I've been yelled at, cursed at, hip-checked, hung up on, threatened and shoved out the door. And, yes, there was that one time a guy came out of his house with a gun and yelled at me -- and I yelled back. I was correctly admonished to never do it again by my news director, my mother and my wife.
I never expected to be an investigative reporter. When I first got into radio in 1991, I wanted to do sports play-by-play. I'd been inspired by one of my childhood heroes, St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck. After four years in radio, I found I had a knack for the news and attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism where I made the leap from radio to television.
In 1998, I became a crime beat reporter for KCCI-TV 8 in Des Moines. In 2000, I joined the special projects unit at WDAF-TV (FOX 4) in Kansas City. And in 2004, I came to WITI-TV FOX6 News to join the investigative team. I've been fortunate to work all these years for a station that values investigative reporting as one of the pillars of our news operation. We get the time to dig into complex issues that have a genuine impact on your life. We hold politicians and government leaders accountable and aim to ensure they are transparent. It's hard work, but it's also fulfilling. I'm grateful every single day that I work for a company that believes in the power and importance of in-depth, hard news reporting.
While I do have a passion for my work, I'm a strong believer in work-life balance. And away from the job, I have a very full life. I'm married with four kids (two of my own, two step-children). In the next few years, we'll have three in college (send money, please!). I love to run, play soccer, go camping, ride roller-coasters, tailgate, and socialize with friends. I'm a big fan of chocolate porter and coffee stout. I can sing a mean karaoke. And I like few things better than a leisurely cruise on a warm summer weekend on my 2007 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500.
If you ride, let me know. Maybe we can get out on one together.
The latest from Bryan Polcyn
Open Record: Wisconsin After Roe
The emotional, political, and legal fallout in Wisconsin following the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson.
Open Record: The Insanity Defense
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske joins Open Record to talk about Darrell Brooks' insanity defense.
Reckless driver tells FOX6 Investigators 'nobody cares' except 'older people'
A reckless driver stopped by police 35 times in three years told FOX6 Investigator Bryan Polcyn "nobody cares" except "older people."
Darrell Brooks' attorneys: Fair Waukesha County trial not possible
In the case of Waukesha parade attack suspect Darrell Brooks, jury questionnaires are back. His lawyers say he cannot get a fair trial in Waukesha County.
Open Record: Trust and risk
From a brazen car theft to a hijacked cellphone, Contact 6 breaks down two recent consumer issues to come into the FOX6 inbox.
Open Record: The superintendent's wife
Most public schools in Wisconsin are on summer break, but the controversy in one small, suburban school district is just heating up.
Pandemic aid benefits superintendent's wife; FOX6 Investigators find
The Hartford Joint 1 School District voted to spend $130,000 in pandemic aid on a contract that benefits the superintendent's family.
Open Record: Price of Public Safety
FOX6 Investigators explain why one of Wisconsin's most wanted criminals keeps getting caught, then released.
Wanted 'menace' Kenneth Twyman keeps posting bail, getting out
There's a killer on the loose in Milwaukee. The victim's family says he should have been locked up. Only this time "low bail" was not the problem.
Basketball fight: St. Thomas More lawsuit with WIAA back in court
The season is over, but the lawsuit goes on. A fight that started on a basketball court is back in a court of law.