Milwaukee, WI
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.
A street takeover was held at the intersection of South14th and West Burnham streets
On June 8, a street takeover was held at South 14th and West Burnham streets. Hundreds congregated at the intersection to watch cars squeal tires or do donuts.
The Milwaukee Common Council on Sept. 23 unanimously passed new legislation addressing street takeovers, including fines for those who attend them.
The legislation states that no person should knowingly be present at a street takeover, which are gatherings in the public roadway as participating vehicles do burnouts and donuts. The events happen suddenly, with organizers turning to private messaging apps, and one event can be attended by hundreds.
Any person at a street takeover is now subject to a fine between $300 and $1,000, according to the legislation.
- Spectators: $500 to $1,000 fine
- Operators or organizers: $400 to $1,000 fine
- Passengers: $300 to $1,000 fine
Those who attend more than one in the same year will receive a minimum $1,000 fine. And the municipal court can impose community service related to traffic safety and default of payment could result in jail time, the legislation states.
The legislation defines a “spectator” as someone knowingly present for the purpose of viewing, encouraging, recording or otherwise attending a street takeover. This includes people filming or livestreaming the event on social media.
In recent weeks, Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Common Council members signaled an intent to pass legislation as police reported responding to hundreds of takeovers this year. The mayor’s office said Sept. 23 that he plans to sign the legislation.
Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic said at the Common Council meeting that she wanted to be “careful” that this legislation will not result in enforcement for “pop-up, organic gatherings” that she sees in her district, which includes Bay View, sometimes surrounding political actions.
“We should be able to go in our streets and voice our support or discontent with anything. That is quite different than what (we) … seek to stop,” she said. “I feel we have a delicate balance here to stop this poor behavior but still allow … open free speech at any time.”
Street takeovers returned to the forefront over Labor Day weekend, when police received about 15 calls related to them. Those took place throughout the city, including downtown, and police arrested three people. The department also issued 26 citations and towed six vehicles.
Milwaukee police previously told the Common Council the police task force responsible for the takeovers was paused Labor Day weekend to deal with violent crime on Water Street.
30th annual Milwaukee zoo bike ride
Nearly 700 cyclists rode through the Milwaukee County Zoo before opening hours for the Ride on the Wild Side fundraiser on Sunday, Sept. 14.
MILWAUKEE – Hundreds of riders pedaled through the Milwaukee County Zoo on Sunday morning, Sept. 14, for the Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s 30th annual Ride on the Wild Side.
What we know:
Organizers said nearly 700 cyclists participated, including some who took on a special 30-mile ride to mark the 30th year of the event. The big draw: a chance to ride bikes inside the zoo before it opened to the public.
“This is the one time a year you can come with your two wheels or four wheels, if you needed training wheels,” said Katie Krecklow with the Zoological Society of Milwaukee. “We have some brave souls today that decided to do a 30 mile ride today to celebrate 30 years.”
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Families described the early-morning ride as a unique experience, with animals just beginning to emerge into their exhibits.
“I think being early in the morning and you just see it from a different perspective – the animals are just coming out,” said Heather Anderson, who attended with her family.
In addition to the bike rides, participants enjoyed activities, like face painting, an obstacle course, and, of course, plenty of animal sightings.
Local perspective:
“Getting to see all the animals when they are coming out and the baby monkeys,” said Claire Anderson. “A lot of animals, like peacocks, like to walk around, and bears and elephants.”
These true stars of the show fuel the heart of the event.
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“We love supporting the zoo,” Heather Anderson said. “We live close and we come often through the year and we take part in their summer camps and family programs.”
Why you should care:
This year’s event raised more than $50,000, money that will go toward supporting zoo operations, conservation efforts, and the society’s mission of teaching children empathy for animals.
“The Zoological Society is the nonprofit partner of the Milwaukee County Zoo, so we take on a lot of the fundraising to try to help the zoo do what they do best, which is care for the animals,” Krecklow said.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.
MILWAUKEE – The last of six men charged in what Milwaukee County prosecutors described as a prostitution ring pleaded no contest and was fined on Friday.
Pleas and sentencings
In Court:
Court records show 56-year-old Christopher Riegg, an investment banker, pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct. He was fined $1,500.
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Prosecutors initially charged all six men with misdemeanor pandering solicitation. One of the six, 55-year-old Travis Schwantes, was charged with additional crimes.
Schwantes, a former public defender who once ran for a judgeship, pleaded guilty to one felony and two misdemeanors in August. He was sentenced to 45 days in jail, two years of probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.
Court records show 60-year-old William Green, a former attorney, pleaded guilty to pandering solicitation and was sentenced to nine months of probation in June.
In July, 51-year-old Milwaukee firefighter David Ornstein pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and was fined $600. George Easton, a 77-year-old retired municipal judge, pleaded guilty to two such counts and was fined $1,000 in May.
Leroy Stewart, a funeral director in Oak Creek, pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct. The 54-year-old was fined $1,200 in April.
The backstory:
Hundreds of pages of search warrants were unsealed last December, and FOX6 News learned the investigation into the prostitution ring began years earlier.
The scope of what investigators uncovered included accusations of extortion. It centered on an apartment building at 29th and Kilbourn in Milwaukee.
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Dig deeper:
A woman, Roya Sedghi, was charged in fall 2023 with keeping a place of prostitution. Court records said she billed herself as the “Iranian Princess.” Records show Sedghi registered “Iranian Princess Fetish Services LLC” with the state in March 2022.
Court records show it all began to unravel a month later when a woman came forward to investigators in Dodge County, detailing what happened, and with whom, in that apartment building.
Sedghi pleaded guilty in October 2024 to keeping a place of prostitution. She was sentenced to one year in prison and three years of extended supervision.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced documents filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, as well as Wisconsin Circuit Court records, for this story.
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