U.S. Marshals director visits Milwaukee, pitches Safe Surrender program

MILWAUKEE — The Director of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) met with metropolis and county leaders on the Federal Courthouse in Milwaukee Wednesday.

Milwaukee is one among 10 cities nationwide affected by violent crime that Davis is visiting this month.

The hour-and-a-half assembly targeted on how federal, state, county, metropolis and neighborhood companies/leaders can work collectively to scale back crime and violence.

Right here’s a listing of individuals and organizations included within the assembly with U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis:

• U.S. Marshal for the Japanese District of Wisconsin Anna Ruzinski
• Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson
• Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman
• Milwaukee County District Lawyer John Chisholm
• Milwaukee County Government’s Workplace Chief of Workers Mary Jo Meyers
• Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Workplace
• Milwaukee Frequent Council President, Alderman Jose Perez
• Milwaukee Public Security and Well being Committee Chairwoman Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa
• Medical Faculty of Wisconsin Institute for Well being and Fairness, Dr. Connie Kostelac
• Voice of the Fatherless Little one Founder Monte Mabra
• American Works Program Supervisor Gwendolyn Luckett

The primary function of the USMS is to companion with native regulation enforcement companies to research and apprehend fugitives with excellent warrants.

Director Davis says it’s a small quantity of individuals driving nearly all of violence and crime in Milwaukee. He would love the USMS to be concerned in additional than simply discovering and arresting fugitives.

“I’m right here to attempt to find out how the USMS can higher help Milwaukee,” he mentioned. “It needs to be a community-driven effort. The extra we will establish who the dangerous folks inflicting crime are, the extra we will present different providers to interrupt the violence and crime earlier than it’s dedicated.”

Whereas Davis didn’t present specifics, he indicated within the 1.5-hour dialogue that he would possibly be capable to get extra federal assets to Milwaukee.

Neighborhood advocates steered the USMS make extra of an effort to get to know folks within the neighborhoods they go into.

“I would love extra engagement, so residents know the police are pals and never enemies,” mentioned Monte Mabra, the founding father of Voice of the Fatherless Little one. “We’ve got youngsters and adults which are coping with unresolved trauma and don’t all the time know or perceive what regulation enforcement is attempting to do to really assist them.”

“It’s very tough to do police work with out the help and cooperation of the neighborhood you’re attempting to serve,” mentioned Ashanti Hamilton, the Director of Milwaukee’s Workplace of Violence Prevention. “We’re attempting to assist construct that stage of belief.”

Director Davis additionally pledged his help to convey a program in Milwaukee that modifications the way in which some warrants are served, so it’s not all the time regulation enforcement displaying up at properties, in neighborhoods, to take folks into custody.

This system, referred to as Secure Give up, is already in place in Cleveland.

“We’ve got tens of hundreds of warrants in our system,” mentioned Milwaukee County District Lawyer John Chisholm. “This can be a program through which folks can voluntarily come to a impartial location and take duty for the warrant that’s out for them. It begins the method of accountability. Warrants usually stop folks from getting work or extra assist. For police, serving warrants could be harmful work and takes lots of time and assets once we may very well be specializing in extra violent offenders.”

This system would solely apply to warrants for misdemeanors and non-violent felonies.

“To have these sorts of secure surrenders, protects the neighborhoods and harmless bystanders as effectively,” mentioned Anna Ruszinski, U.S. Marshal for the Japanese District of Wisconsin. “It’s higher for everybody.”

Ruszinski says they’re hoping to implement the Secure Give up program in Milwaukee this yr. Study extra on their web site.

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