Milwaukee, WI
Sheriff’s Office backpedals on controversial facial recognition deal
Drone view shows Milwaukee’s County Courthouse
Built in 1931, Milwaukee’s historic County Courthouse is in dire need of repair and upgrades. Here’s a recent drone view of the MacArthur Square building.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office will not move forward on a potential deal to use facial recognition technology, Sheriff Denita Ball announced Friday.
In a statement on Feb. 27, Ball said after “thoughtful evaluation” and “meaningful dialogue” with community stakeholders and leaders, she decided to stop pursuing a contract with Biometrica, a Las Vegas-based company whose technology allows authorities to compare photos to a large database of photos for matches.
“While we recognize the potential of this software as an investigative tool, we also recognize that trust between the MCSO and the people we serve is important,” she said.
“My discussions with local advocates highlighted valid concerns regarding how such data could be accessed or perceived in the current national climate. This decision is not a retreat from innovation but rather an understanding that timing matters, too,” Ball said.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Feb. 17 that the Sheriff’s Office was on the verge of signing off on the use of facial recognition technology after news broke at a community advisory board meeting held by the office.
The update on the office’s sign-off on an intent to enter into a contract with Biometrica blindsided local officials and advocates because it contradicted earlier claims that the office had not moved forward with a controversial contract.
At the time, supervisors on the county’s judiciary and legislation committee called for more information from the Sheriff’s Office about the nature of the then-potential contract.
Supervisor Justin Bielinski, who chairs the committee, said Ball’s decision to step away from the deal was good news, but said he was still feeling wary.
“I would like to see more I guess,” he said of the two paragraph statement from Ball. “At what point would she reconsider, right?”
County Executive David Crowley, who is running for governor as a Democrat, had also voiced concerns about a possible contract when news came to light earlier this month.
After learning of Ball’s decision to not move forward with Biometrica, Crowley thanked community members who voiced concerns about facial recognition technology, saying he will “continue doing everything in my authority to ensure our residents’ First Amendment rights, civil liberties, and personal data are protected.”
In recent months, Milwaukee politicians and residents rebuffed local law enforcement’s efforts to pursue the use of such technology at both the city and county levels, with many citing concerns over racial bias and unjust surveillance of residents.
The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voted last summer to recommend the development of a policy framework for the use of facial recognition technology as worries about its use by local law enforcement grew in the community.
The policy emphasized that the use of such technology doesn’t “suppress First Amendment-related activities, violate privacy, or otherwise adversely impact individuals’ civil rights and liberties,” and called for a pause on acquiring new facial recognition technology until regulatory policies were in place to monitor any existing and new surveillance technology.
In early February, the Milwaukee Police Department paused its pursuit of facial recognition technology after almost a year of pushback from activists and some public officials at public meetings. The department also noted that community feedback was a part of its final decision as well as a volatile political climate amid the federal government’s immigration crackdown.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee shooting near 12th and Locust; 20-year-old wounded
Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)
MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee police say a 20-year-old was shot and wounded near 12th and Locust on Tuesday, April 14.
12th and Locust
What we know:
Officials said the shooting happened around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment.
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Milwaukee police are seeking an unknown shooter.
Call with tips
What you can do:
Anyone with information on this incident is urged to contact Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or the P3 Tips App.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by the Milwaukee Police Department.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Wave makes another dramatic comeback to reach MASL finals
Milwaukee Wave coach Marcio Leite 2025-26 team’s evolution in MASL
See first-year Milwaukee Wave head coach Marcio Leite discuss the roles of younger players and veterans as the 2025-26 MASL season begins.
The Milwaukee Wave performed MASL playoff magic for the second time April 13, coming back after losing the first game of a playoff series to advance.
Now the team with seven arena soccer titles will play for an eighth, having knocked off the Baltimore Blast with victories of 5-4 in Game 2 and 2-1 in the 15-minute knockout game that followed at the UWM Panther Arena.
Venezuelan rookie forward Oscar Flores scored two goals in the first victory, the first to tie the game at 3-3 late in the third quarter and then the clincher midway through the fourth. On Flores’ final goal, he picked up a ball bounced hard off the boards by defender Stuart Grable and directed it in behind his back with his right heel.
Baltimore scored 32 seconds into the knockout game, but Wave rookie goalkeeper Gerardo Perez came forward and tied the game with a rebound goal six minutes later. That set the stage for veteran forward Andre Hayne, who took a pass from Ian Bennett and pounded it home with 55 seconds left.
The Wave, under first-year head coach Marcio Leite, won its quarterfinal series with the Empire Strykers in similar fashion, losing the first game before winning 60- and 15-minute games in one night.
Milwaukee won’t know its opponent until April 19th, when the St. Louis Ambush and San Diego Sockers play the second and possibly third game of their semifinal series.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Public Schools plans to add 150 staff to classrooms
Milwaukee Public Schools plans to add about 150 teachers and paraprofessionals to classrooms next school year.
The positions were announced Monday, one month after MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said she planned to cut about 200 non-classroom staff positions.
Cassellius said external audits of the district and meetings last summer with parents both highlighted heavy staffing at central office and less resources going into classrooms.
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“I can see with my own eyes how hard it is with so many students in the classroom,” Cassellius said. “So obviously, with 91 percent of our students not reading on grade level at fourth grade, it is essential that we give our kids a fighting chance where teachers have a reasonable amount of students to teach to read.”
MPS is planning to add 89 licensed classroom teachers, bringing the total number of teaching staff from 3,903 to 3,992, and 63 paraprofessionals to its schools. They will also add five school psychologists.
The plan is estimated to cost $24.6 million and will be included in the 2026-27 draft budget.
“Lowering class size is a very strategic move in order to rebalance the district and be responsible with our finances,” Cassellius said. “But it’s also a very important academic decision for us as we meet the needs and listen to teachers and try to make sure that they have what they need so they can be successful in teaching our children to read.”
The investment in staffing comes as MPS works to close a $46 million deficit identified in the district’s 2024–25 budget by external auditors.
To address the budget deficit and rising costs, MPS is identifying savings wherever possible.
Some of the savings include $30 million from reductions in Central Services and non-classroom positions; $11 million in increased state special education reimbursement funding and $40 million in savings from fewer charter schools. The district also has $47 million in new referendum revenue.
At the same time, MPS anticipates approximately $154 million to $171 million in new expenses, including covering increases in healthcare benefit costs and raises for employees.
Of the 200 positions being eliminated by MPS, 59 are assistant principal positions and 62 “implementer positions,” or educators who have a teaching license but who are not assigned to one classroom.
Cassellius said all of the people who received “excess letters” can reapply for teaching positions.
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