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.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee woman found safe, reported critically missing Saturday
MILWAUKEE – UPDATE: MPD said Sheree Wimberly, reported critically missing Saturday, has been found safe. The original missing person notice is available below.
The Milwaukee Police Department requested the public’s help to find 56-year-old Sheree Wimberly. The critically missing woman was last seen near 91st and Appleton at around 5:10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.
What they’re saying:
Police described Wimberley as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and 170 pounds, bald with brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown jacket with fur around the collar, gray sweatpants, and white-black-and-green shoes.
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What you can do:
Anyone with information on Wimberly’s whereabouts is asked to call Milwaukee Police District 4 at 414-935-7242.
The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department released information.
Milwaukee, WI
Next Act Theatre presents: Swing State
It’s hard to know who your friends are in a world that’s more divided than ever! That’s where Next Act Theatre comes in. Two of the major players in the production of “Swing State” joined FOX6 WakeUp in studio to share more.
Posted
Milwaukee, WI
Lapse of health care contract for Milwaukee County employees angers officials
Milwaukee County officials are calling for an “emergency action” after learning that the contract covering health insurance for thousands of county employees has lapsed.
During a Jan. 29 committee on finance meeting, Milwaukee County Supervisors learned that the county’s health care contract with UnitedHealthcare expired at the end of last year. County Corporation Counsel Scott Brown said the contract is one of the “single most important contracts in the county.”
“I think there’s enormous risk to us operating … without this contract,” Brown said.
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The county’s deputy corporation counsel William Davidson said there could be “catastrophic risk” if the county does not move to approve a contract soon. He said the ability for county employees to “receive and pay for services might be affected.”
Milwaukee County Supervisor Steve Taylor said he was angry, calling the situation “unacceptable.”
“This is crazy,” Taylor said.
In an interview with WPR Friday evening, Taylor said more than 3,000 county employees are covered by the plan. He said coverage for employees is continuing under the old contract. However, Brown said if an employee does have a large claim before a new contract is signed, the lapse could leave UnitedHealthcare “in a position to deny it.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who is running for governor as a Democrat, said Crowley has “directed administration officials to resolve the situation and work with the Board of Supervisors to approve the contract next week.”
During the Jan. 29 meeting, Milwaukee County Human Resources Director Tony Maze said he hired an outside actuary to do the request for proposals for a health plan for employees in an attempt to save money. When pressed about the issue by county supervisors, Maze said he did not follow the county’s rules for the request for proposal process.
Milwaukee County Supervisor Anne O’Connor called for an emergency meeting Monday morning in response to what she called “damage control mode.”
“I feel like what I am hearing is extremely concerning, to the point where I think we have to consider some emergency action, ” O’Connor said.
That meeting will be held Monday at 10 a.m.
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