Gov. Tony Evers announced on Monday $2.2 million in funding “directed towards the city of Milwaukee for violence prevention and to help the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) to take immediate steps to address crime.”
The $2.2 million follows Evers’ previous investment of more than $100 million “to support violence prevention efforts, crime victims, and local and tribal law enforcement agencies, as well as funding to help alleviate the pandemic-related backlog of criminal cases through additional public defender and assistant district attorney support.”
“Every family and every kid deserves safe communities to live, work, learn, and play in, and that includes the city of Milwaukee,” Evers said on Monday. “Violence is never the answer, and I am hopeful that today’s investment, paired with the more than $100 million investments we have made already, will give the city of Milwaukee some additional tools to curb crime and keep folks safe.”
The money comes from the state’s American Rescue Plan Act funds.
So where will that $2.2 million go? Mostly to the Milwaukee Police Department.
“The more than $2.2 million investment announced today will help MPD hire civilian contractors to manage crime fighting tools such as ballistics technology used to investigate gun crimes and the processing of sexual assault kits, allowing MPD to shift staffing resources to other pressing needs,” reads the press release. “A portion of the funds will be available for MPD officer overtime costs in downtown Milwaukee this summer. Additionally, the investment will allow the city of Milwaukee to install downtown security fencing that can be remotely raised and lowered, transforming the downtown entertainment corridors into pedestrian-only zones on weekends and during major downtown events. Finally, the funding will help MPD purchase several pieces of equipment, including forensic workstations, night vision devices, air tanks, and a device that provides instant, on-scene ballistics analysis.”
The news follows recent shootings in downtown Milwaukee, as well as countless “BUT WHAT ABOUT CRIME?” social media comments every time a new downtown development is announced.
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