Milwaukee, WI

Should You Use AirTags To Track Your Milwaukee Tools? 5 Things To Consider – SlashGear

Published

1 year ago

September 21, 2024

Should You Use AirTags To Track Your Milwaukee Tools? 5 Things To Consider – SlashGear

The Washington Post/Getty Images

Milwaukee power tools are valuable and, occasionally, expensive products. Needless to say, they’re things you’d probably like to keep a close eye on if you can, both because they’re valuable to you and because replacing them would be expensive. This goes double if the Milwaukee tools you’re using are the property of your employer, renting tools out to employees for use on a jobsite. Either way, you need a good way to keep track of those tools.

When it comes to tracking things in today’s world, one of the first options that may spring to mind is a Bluetooth tracking device, such as the Apple AirTag. In theory, an AirTag would be the perfect way to keep track of your Milwaukee tools. They’re readily available and well-known for their tracking efficacy via the Apple Find My app. However, attaching an AirTag to a professional-grade Milwaukee power tool isn’t quite the same as attaching one to a slippery set of keys. There are a few factors you might want to take some time to consider before you go out and buy a massive stack of AirTags.

Do you have a reliable way to attach an AirTag to tools?

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The first, and perhaps most obvious question to consider with any AirTag scenario, including attaching one to a Milwaukee tool, is whether or not you actually have the ability to attach one. AirTags are designed to be attached to a variety of different objects and surfaces through the use of various accessories, including sticky pads and mounts, key rings, and wire cable holders. One of these approaches might work for some Milwaukee products, especially simple ones like battery packs, but definitely not all of them.

Let’s say, for example, you’re using one of Milwaukee’s M18 impact wrenches. There isn’t really anywhere on the tool you could hook a keyring or cable holder aside from maybe the belt hook if you aren’t using it, and that’s if you don’t mind it jangling around while you’re using the tool. As for a sticker mount, you would specifically need one just small enough to fit on the tool’s surface, though it’s anyone’s guess how long the adhesive would last in the face of an impact wrench’s heavy vibrational force.

Do you have a way to hide an AirTag?

Steve Heap/Shutterstock

While Milwaukee tools can be quite valuable, AirTags are no slouches in the pricing department either. A single one of those things costs around $30, and if a would-be thief could pry it loose from whatever you stuck it on, there’s a good chance they’d just run off with the tag itself. This is why a lot of AirTag users prefer to hide their AirTags, either by placing them in an out-of-sight pocket on a bag or building some kind of special mount from scratch.

Making an AirTag mount for a Milwaukee tool that hides its presence to some degree is theoretically possible, but definitely not easy. Unless you happen to be a talented crafter with a good understanding of the AirTag’s dimensions, not to mention the dimensions of whatever tool you’re trying to stick it on, any mount you create is probably going to stick out like a sore thumb. Even if you can hide the large Apple logo from view, ne’er-do-wells might still be made curious by the large lump of plastic you’ve attached to your power drill.

Can an AirTag withstand what you’ll be using the tool for?

AirTags, to their credit, are surprisingly resilient little gizmos. They have an IP67 water and dust resistance rating, and based on tests conducted by publications like CNET, they can handle an occasional spin in the washing machine or an accidental drop onto a hard surface from a few feet up. However, the kind of punishment that an AirTag may endure during common, everyday use is a very different beast from the kind of horrors it may endure on a professional job site.

Job sites are a microcosm of physical punishment and dirtiness, with both workers and the tools they use regularly subjected to constant drops, the scorching heat of the sun, occasional splashes of thick mud, and more. AirTags can only operate in a range of -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit; any further in either direction, and you’ll have problems. That’s not even mentioning the potential of sudden impacts and vibrational force that an AirTag may be subjected to while attached to a Milwaukee power tool. An AirTag may be able to withstand an occasional scratch, but there’s not enough information on anything above that, so trying to use one on a jobsite would be a gamble.

AirTags can only be tracked individually by a single user

Hapabapa/Getty Images

If you have exactly one Milwaukee tool you want to track that is owned exclusively by you, an AirTag might work. However, if you were looking to add tracking functionality to a variety of tools on behalf of your company or job site, then using AirTags might not be such a good idea. The reason for this is that AirTags, when activated, are tied exclusively to a single Apple ID. Only their original user can track their location via the Apple Find My app on a paired iPhone, Apple Watch, or Mac computer. Unless you’re unusually comfortable with sharing your Apple ID credentials around with your coworkers, nobody else would be able to track the tags’ location, which presents a security risk.

Even putting that aside, attaching an AirTag to a tool doesn’t let you track the tool itself. You can only track the AirTag, and if the AirTag falls off, is stolen, or otherwise misplaced, you might be able to track it down, but the tool may be missing in action forever.

Milwaukee already has its own tracking system

One major reason that attaching AirTags to your Milwaukee tools might be a poor investment is that some Milwaukee tools already have a tracking system built in. Milwaukee has a proprietary tracking system called One-Key, which is operated via the Milwaukee smartphone app. Various high-grade Milwaukee tools, particularly those in the M18 and MX FUEL lines, will have a One-Key Bluetooth tracker embedded in their handles, allowing the app to catalog and track them. Granted, the One-Key tracking system isn’t as comprehensive as the AirTags’, as an AirTag is backed by Apple’s device network, but if you’re only looking for tools in a single, small jobsite, that’s less of a problem.

Even if you’re using lower-end Milwaukee tools that don’t have One-Key trackers built in, Milwaukee also offers standalone One-Key trackers that can be attached to other tools and important objects. These tags have built-in holes for screws, rivets, or zip-ties to hold strong to their targets, not to mention a similarly impact-resistant body to an AirTag. These tags have a simpler, lower-profile design, which might make them a lower-priority target for theft than the well-known AirTag.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee oversight body asks for more police pursuit policy changes

Published

9 hours ago

March 6, 2026

Press Room

Milwaukee oversight body asks for more police pursuit policy changes

The Fire and Police Commission is mulling a recommendation the Milwaukee Police Department amend its police chase policy and restrict chases for reckless driving.
The current recommendation draft calls for a ban on chases for reckless driving after an attempted traffic stop. That will now move to a committee for further changes.
The draft recommendation comes after department modified the policy to remove speeding as a sole justification for chases. Prior, speeding was allowed to be considered when evaluating reckless driving

A Milwaukee oversight body is pushing for further restrictions on how the city’s police decide to chase vehicles, but isn’t ready to move those forward yet.

At its March 5 meeting, the city’s Fire and Police Commission mulled a recommendation the Milwaukee Police Department no longer chase drivers for reckless driving after an attempted traffic stop and stop other chases for reckless driving if it raises danger to the public. The department’s pursuit policy has been a point of contention for years and has come under intense scrutiny after nine people died from police chase crashes in 2025.

But that recommendation was tabled and sent to commission committee for further discussion, after concerns it needed to be further tweaked and receive more police department input.

“I’m trying to find incremental changes we can make to reduce chases,” said Commissioner Bree Spencer, who sponsored the recommendation.

Spencer said she was hesitant to push for policy changes that were too sweeping or too permissive. She said that had happened in years past, when pursuits were heavily restricted in 2010 and then later opened up in 2017 in response to reckless driving, following a then-Fire and Police Commission order.

As has become the norm at the commission’s meetings, a lengthy public comment period was held where some were critical of the proposed changes. Some called for dashcam footage of pursuit-related deaths to be released, as policy requires in officer shootings, and for the city’s costs of police chase-related lawsuits to be publicized.

“Police chases do not keep our community safe,” Angela Lang, the co-executive director of Black Leaders Organizing Change, said during public comment.

The Fire and Police Commission’s proposed recommendation comes after the department voluntarily removed speeding as a permissible reason to chase someone who is recklessly driving. However, that move was met coldly by members of the public and the commission, which is the oversight body for the department, who said it didn’t go far enough.

Generally, department policy considers pursuits “justified” under six circumstances, among those being when an occupant is involved in a violent felony.

Milwaukee Assistant Chief Craig Sarnow said the department was content with its previous change, when commissioners asked him for feedback on the proposed recommendation.

Both the Fire and Police Commission’s drafted recommendation and police department’s change focus on reckless driving chases. Those make up an overwhelming amount of all chases that officers in Milwaukee make – with officers citing reckless driving as the initiating reason in 742 of the 970 chases in 2025, according to police data.

The Fire and Police Commission’s recommendation is also the first time the body has exercised that power since state legislation, 2023 Wisconsin Act 12, was passed. Before that legislation was passed, the commission held the ability to outright change police department policy, but the law shifted that to the city’s Common Council.

Some have called for the Fire and Police Commission to more aggressively issue recommendations like these.

The recommendation will now move to the commission’s Oversight and Accountability Committee. The decision was made after commissioners said they sought more time to tweak the language and for police to provide input.

License plate reading camera use scrutinized

The department’s use of license plate reading cameras, a system known as Flock, came under scrutiny from many attendees at the meeting as well, who called for the city to ban it. Many noted the recent criminal charges brought against Josue Ayala, an officer who prosecutors say improperly used the system to track a former partner and another person.

Ayala resigned and is facing a misdemeanor charge of attempted misconduct in public office. Ayala had previously faced claims of lying and excessive force but was not placed on a Milwaukee County District Attorney’s list of officers with a history of dishonesty, bias or integrity concerns until recently.

That was despite, in 2022, a federal public defender issuing a complaint against Ayala, saying he exaggerated so much in his testimony and reports that it almost seemed “like a compulsion.”

Milwaukee police officials like Heather Hough, the department’s chief of staff, said they were never made aware of that previous concern against Ayala.

“Had we received the information from defense counsel about these concerns they would have been investigated,” she said in an email to the Journal Sentinel.

But that goes against the role of the defense bar, outside experts and defense attorneys locally told the Journal Sentinel. Prosecutors have the ethical duty to share potential Brady material and serve the public, whereas defense attorneys’ obligation is to their client.

Milwaukee police began using Flock cameras in 2022. MPD has a $182,900 contract with Flock for the use of the technology. That contract is active through January 2027 and passed without requiring approval from member of the city’s Common Council, a point criticized by attendees.

The scrutiny against Flock came despite it not being on the meeting’s agenda. Attendees held signs that said things like “GET THE FLOCK OUTTA HERE” and called for the city to be “de-Flocked.”

David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at dclarey@gannett.com.

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Milwaukee, WI

Illegal dumping plagues closed Milwaukee Pick ‘n Save

Published

21 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Illegal dumping plagues closed Milwaukee Pick ‘n Save

Illegal dumping plagues closed Pick ‘n Save

Neighbors say since a Milwaukee Pick ‘n Save at 35th and North closed in 2025, the parking lot has been filling up, but not with cars or people. It has been attracting illegal dumpers.

MILWAUKEE – Neighbors say since the Milwaukee Pick ‘n Save at 35th and North closed in 2025, the parking lot has been filling up, but not with cars or people. It has been attracting illegal dumpers.

Trash piling up

What we know:

There are old mattresses and furniture in the parking lot. There are piles of garbage at the entrance of the old grocery store. Behind the building, there are tires, more mattresses and more trash.

Illegal dumping at former grocery store near 35th and North, Milwaukee

The Pick ‘n Save stores closed in July 2025. Since then, the building has sat empty.

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FOX6 News was contacted by a man who manages senior and family housing in the area. He said in the last couple of months, he has noticed the stile turn into a place for illegal dumping. The man said he was so fed up, he called the office of Milwaukee Alderman Russell Stamper about the problem. The man said the whole site is an eyesore, and something needs to change.

Illegal dumping at former grocery store near 35th and North, Milwaukee

Change sought

What they’re saying:

“As the snow melts, it’s full of garbage. People are dumping furniture on it, tires,” said Jeffrey Sessions, who manages nearby property. “If you drive around it, it’s garbage everywhere. It’s unsightly for the neighborhood, and it’s probably going to create rats and mice problems.”

FOX6 News reached out to the Department of Neighborhood Services. Officials said the dumping has not been reported. They said the department’s commercial team will now be made aware of the issue.

Illegal dumping at former grocery store near 35th and North, Milwaukee

“It makes the whole neighborhood look like garbage, like nobody’s taking care of anything around here,” Sessions said. “It’s a detriment, it’s unsightly, and it needs to be addressed.”

Illegal dumpers could face fines

Dig deeper:

If the dumpers are caught on camera, they could face fines.

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The owner of the property may also be ordered to clean it up.

Illegal dumping at former grocery store near 35th and North, Milwaukee

The Source: Information in this post was provided by a person who owns property near the former grocery store, as well as Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services.

Crime and Public SafetyMilwaukeeNews

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Milwaukee, WI

Things to do in the Milwaukee area this weekend, including Sports Show

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Things to do in the Milwaukee area this weekend, including Sports Show

Travel to Ireland, learn how to catch a fish, visit wildlife at the zoo, and see costumed characters this weekend in Milwaukee.

Anime Milwaukee

The 2026 “Magical Academy” themed animation convention comes to the Baird Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave., and Hilton Milwaukee City Center March 6-8. The weekend features Japanese industry guests and cultural experts, artists and official merchandise, gaming, music, dance, manga, cosplay, anime and Asian fashion. New this year is the Nocturna Anime Bar with a lounge and specialty drinks, including nonalcoholic beverages. Exhibit hall hours are 1 to 8 p.m. March 6, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 7 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 8. Full weekend access is $100; single day access is $50-$75. animemilwaukee.org

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Show

The 85th year of the Sports Show is at State Fair Park’s Wisconsin Exposition Center, 8200 W. Greenfield Ave., West Allis, from noon to 7 p.m. March 6, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 7 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 8. Along with outdoor exhibitors, see what’s swimming in the trout pond, watch the lumberjack show and the fastest retriever race, or catch the archery and air rifle tournaments. General admission tickets at the door are $15; youth tickets (ages 6-14) are $6. In honor of Women’s Day on March 8, all women receive $10 admission at the door. Check out the full schedule at jssportsshow.com.

Gardens & Gears: Steampunk Faire

Celebrate the industrial age at the Gardens & Gears art fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 7 at the Mitchell Park Domes, 524 S. Layton Blvd. The immersive garden event features creators, costumes and live entertainment, with gears, goggles and handcrafted mechanical curiosities on display in the gardens. Domes admission required. mitchellparkdomes.com

Milwaukee County Zoo Family Free Day

Everyone receives free admission at the Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 W. Blue Mound Road, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 7. See the red pandas in their outdoor habitat, lions, penguins and more. Parking and regular attraction fees still apply. milwaukeezoo.org

Irish Family Day

Travel to the Irish countryside during “Passport to Ireland” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 8 at the CelticMKE Center, 1532 N. Wauwatosa Ave., Wauwatosa. With Irish dance, arts, crafts and storytelling, each county will be featured with an activity that celebrates Irish culture, history and traditions. Buy one, get one free Irish Fest tickets will be available to purchase, with lunch, beverages and snacks served in the Celtic Café. Admission is $10 at the door. celticmke.com

What’s new in Milwaukee-area theaters this weekend

Marcus Theatres: See a marathon of the 2026 Best Picture nominees at select theater locations. Day one of the marathon is March 7 and features “Sentimental Value,” “F1: The Movie,” “The Secret Agent,” “Bugonia,” and “Sinners.” The marathon resumes March 14 with a new set of films. Visit marcustheatres.com.

Milwaukee Film: Women’s History Month programming features the action films of Michelle Yeoh. See her Oscar-winning performance in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” screening at 6 p.m. March 6 at the Oriental Theatre.

“Hoppers”: A robotic animal with a human mind helps real animals thwart a plot to destroy their habitat in this Disney and Pixar feature film. See it at AMC Mayfair Mall; Avalon Theater; Marcus Theatres’ BistroPlex Southridge, Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Movie Tavern Brookfield Square, North Shore, Ridge, South Shore cinemas; Rosebud Cinema.

“The Bride!”: A lonely Frankenstein (Christian Bale) travels to 1930s Chicago to ask a scientist (Annette Bening) to create a companion. See it at AMC Mayfair Mall; Marcus Theatres’ BistroPlex Southridge, Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Movie Tavern Brookfield Square, North Shore, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.

“Protector”: A veteran war hero (Milla Jovovich) must use the violent skills she thought she left behind to save her daughter. See it at Marcus Theatres’ BistroPlex Southridge, Hillside, Majestic, Menomonee Falls, Movie Tavern Brookfield Square, North Shore, Ridge, South Shore cinemas.

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