Milwaukee, WI

MPD drone program expansion planned; transparency concern rises

Published

1 year ago

May 2, 2025

MPD drone program expansion planned; transparency concern rises

MILWAUKEE – Fighting crime with eyes in the skies – the Milwaukee Police Department is looking to enhance public safety with drones.

What we know:

MPD is looking to expand its airborne assessment team.

Sgt. Christopher Boss said the team officially launched just before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last summer.

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He and another officer operate exterior and interior drones as seen in this video. They’re used for crime scene management, crash reconstruction and missing persons cases, as well as keeping a watchful eye on protests and events.

“This is a tool we can use to make sure we’re all safer,” Boss said. “Several weeks ago there was an incident, and it was the recording from this particular incident that prompted the district attorney to issue a certain type of charge.”

Dig deeper:

MPD has six drones, but they want more. They want each district to be covered by one drone operator.

They want to use $250,000 of federal forfeiture funds to expand its two-person drone pilot program.

“We’re hoping to train up to 18 pilots, 14 deployed at the districts and four deployed from specialized patrols,” Boss said. “Prior to the application, every pilot will need to be certified by the FAA as a remote pilot.”

The particular models are valued at $15,000 each.

MPD said, in some capacity, the drones will serve as body cameras in the sky, with officers now frequently requesting assistance following suspects in high-speed chases.

“The majority of our patrol-led calls to date have involved vehicle pursuits,” Boss said. “The end of the vehicle pursuit, reckless vehicle or someone wanted for some sort of crime, like an armed robbery, leads us on a pursuit and at the end of the pursuit, everybody runs.”

The other side:

However, the purchase doesn’t come without some concerns. The Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission discussed it in April.

“I think the public is like, ‘Big Brother is watching,’” said chair Miriam Horwitz.

“The public, also me, I have a lot of worries,” vice chair Bree Spencer said. “I get it for water rescue. I’m very worried for things like protests.”

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What’s next:

Boss said the drone will not have facial recognition.

They hope to have the drone team fully operational by the end of the year. Prior to doing so, the department said it will launch a transparency dashboard for people to see their flight paths.

The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department and Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission provided information for this report.

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Milwaukee, WI

Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex

Published

2 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Press Room

Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex

MILWAUKEE — An Oak Creek couple’s stolen car has been found after a viewer who saw a report on the theft spotted it near a south side Milwaukee apartment complex.

Melinna Posey said the ordeal began when her car was stolen and she turned to social media for help. A person who responded claimed to have the vehicle and demanded money for its return. The person messaging even taunted her, discarding some of the items inside the car.

Personal items were inside the vehicle, including the family’s car seat, stroller, cameras and photos.

“It’s been very stressful, especially for him. It’s his vehicle, it’s in his name,” Posey said.

Watch: Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex

Stolen Oak Creek couple’s car found by viewer dumped near Milwaukee apartment complex

I spoke to Posey on Tuesday. Since then, she and Tyler Dusenberry had been searching for the car. On Thursday, the couple received a message from someone who saw the story on TMJ4. That person found the car at a south side Milwaukee apartment complex and shared pictures of the red Dodge Durango SRT between trees and a building, covered in tarps.

“I didn’t believe the text message at first today, and then he sent pictures of the car, and I was like, thank the lord, I was like thank you so much,” Posey said.

“It’s a roller coaster that’s what it’s been,” Dusenberry said.

Brendyn Jones/TMJ4

Oak Creek Police picked up the car and are processing it for evidence. The family has not yet been able to see the inside of the vehicle or what, if anything, was left behind.

The family said they are grateful to everyone who helped them this week, but said the entire experience will be tough to get over.

“It’s just unfortunate that this all happened, and we had a lot of memories and trips within that vehicle so it’s just a little life-changing to be honest,” Dusenberry said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Milwaukee, WI

$95,000 worth of Milwaukee tools stolen in Plover

Published

12 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

,000 worth of Milwaukee tools stolen in Plover

PLOVER, Wis. (WBAY) – Police in the western part of the state are spreading the word after someone stole over $95,000 worth of Milwaukee-brand tools. Police are concerned that they’ll be sold online or sold outside the state.

Milwaukee-brand tools were stolen from a trailer at a solar farm in Plover.

Police say there were 130 items, including more than 40 half-inch impact guns, multiple wire cutters, grease guns, 80 batteries, and a couple of small generators.

Investigators are warning that buyers who purchase stolen items can have them seized and could lose their money or even face criminal charges if they knew the property was stolen.

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