Criminal Justice
Kenosha community members reflect on 2020 unrest
Two years after the unrest that followed the shooting of Jacob Blake, a sense of mournful angst loomed thick in the Kenosha’s Civic Park Wednesday evening as a modest gathering of community members assembled to unpack those few chaotic nights. The evening was one of reflection, but also refusal to allow Kenosha’s uprising to be […]
Wauwatosa PD releases details of officer’s non-fatal shooting of teen
“The subject dictates the officer’s response,” said Wauwatosa Police Chief James MacGillis in a recent video, released following the Milwaukee County district attorney’s decision to not issue charges for an officer-involved shooting back in April. The incident, which involved Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD) officers Evan Olson and Dexter Schleis, left 17-year-old Damiso Lee wounded after […]
Interactive overdose map visualizes evolving public health crisis
More than homicides or car accidents, communities across Milwaukee County have endured worsening waves of drug overdose deaths. Last year 644 people died of a drug-related cause in the county, eclipsing the 544 lives lost in 2020. Over the last decade, drug overdose deaths have steadily increased with records set year after year. It’s a […]
Finance panel OKs changes to advance local juvenile correction centers in Milwaukee, Racine counties
While Wisconsin’s plan to replace long-troubled youth correctional facilities at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake advances, the state is also expanding a planned renovation of Milwaukee’s juvenile justice center and facing higher costs for a new youth facility in Racine County. The Legislature’s budget committee voted unanimously Tuesday to increase what the state will pay […]
Milwaukee votes on Type 1 juvenile facility to replace Lincoln Hills
The saga of closing the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake juvenile prisons inched a step closer to its conclusion last week. On Friday, the Milwaukee Common Council voted 12-1 to support initiating the process of building a new Type 1 facility in the city. Earlier this week, Gov. Tony Evers and the Department of Corrections […]
Search warrant shows Trump under investigation for possible Espionage Act violations
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Friday unsealed the warrant that allowed the Federal Bureau of Investigation to search former President Donald Trump’s property at Mar-a-Lago in Florida earlier this week, revealing he’s under investigation for possibly violating the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice. The seven-page document, which includes a brief description of everything […]
Ghost guns on the rise in Wisconsin as federal government prepares to act
On Aug. 24, new federal regulations will take effect to reduce the proliferation of untraceable, privately assembled firearms. Popularly known as “ghost guns,” these firearms have become steadily more common in southeastern Wisconsin. Their cryptic nature brings new challenges for law enforcement, particularly in states with loose gun laws. Every year, any given police department […]
U.S. attorney general says DOJ asked for public release of search warrant for Trump estate
WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday that the U.S. Department of Justice has moved to release the search warrant a federal judge issued earlier this week that allowed federal agents to enter former President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. DOJ, Garland said, filed a motion in the Southern District of […]
What really happened the night Michael Bell’s son died?
Over the course of a dozen years, Michael M. Bell has been campaigning for local and state officials to take a new look at the 2004 killing of his son by a Kenosha police officer. In the last year, that campaign has escalated — culminating with public allegations that Bell has directed at the Kenosha […]
On Jan. 6 I was bewildered. Now, I’m outraged.
Ahead of the first hearing of the Jan.6 Select Committee I had the opportunity, due to my more than 40 years in law enforcement, to share my thoughts as part of a panel discussion about what had happened on that terrible day, and what I expected to come from the hearings. I shared that I […]
Republicans in Congress line up behind Trump after he says FBI searched Mar-a-Lago
Republicans in Congress fumed Tuesday in reaction to former President Donald Trump’s Monday evening statement that the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, his home in Palm Beach, Florida. Democrats had little to say Tuesday about the apparent search, though some defended the execution of justice regardless of a person’s political power. The massive […]
Family of Breon Green demand video release from Milwaukee jail
“This is everybody’s son,” Monique Brewer, aunt of 21-year-old Breon Green, said during a protest Saturday. “This is everybody’s nephew, this is everybody’s friend, this is everybody’s brother, this is everybody’s child. It could be anybody. All we’re asking for is transparency.” In June, Green was taken to jail by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office […]