CRIME AND CALLS FOR POLICE
REFORM, CITY ALDERS ARE WORKING
TO SEE WHETHER THEY CAN BRING
BETTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND
FREE UP POLICE OFFICERS FOR
VIOLENT CRIME CALLS.
THE COMMON COUNCIL APPROVED
LEGISLATION TO APPOINT A
MILWAUKEE POLICE DEPARTMENT
DIVERSION TASK FORCE TO REPORT
ITS FINDINGS BY NEXT MARCH.
ALDERPERSON CHANTIA LEWIS SAYS
THE GOAL IS TO REIMAGINE THE WAY
OF DISPATCHING HELP AND HOW WE
CREATE A SAFER COMMUNITY FOR
EVERYONE AND SHE ENGINES JOINS W
FROM MILWAUKEE.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO REIMAGINE
DISPATCHING HELP TO PEOPLE AND
HOW WOULD THAT WORK?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO
REITERATE THAT THIS IS NOT A
REIMAGINING FOR INSTANCES WHERE
OFFICERS ARE NEEDED.
THIS IS LITERALLY LOOKING AT
THOSE CALLS THAT DO NOT WARRANT
A POLICE, A SWORN OFFICER, GOING
TO THAT PARTICULAR SITUATION.
AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT MENTAL
HEALTH, FOR EXAMPLE, AND WE LOOK
AT THE BROADER CONTEXT OF WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN A PERSON IS HAVING
A MENTAL BREAKDOWN, OFFICERS
SHOULD NOT RESPOND TO THOSE
CALLS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT
TRAINED FOR THAT.
THEY DON'T GO TO SCHOOL FOR
THAT.
THEY DON'T HAVE THAT LEVEL OF
BACKGROUND.
WHAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST
FEW YEARS AS WE TRIED TO
INSTITUTE THAT AND ADD THAT TO
THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES, THAT'S
NOT WHAT THEY WERE SWORN TO
PROTECT I TO DO.
SO WHEN A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS
IS HAPPENING, THAT'S WHEN YOU
NEED A SOCIAL WORKER.
>> WOULD PARAMEDICS REPORT AS
WELL OR WHO WOULD BE RESPONDING
TO A MENTAL HEALTH CALL?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO THE SOCIAL WORKERS, THE
PARAMEDICS, THE FIREFIGHTERS,
THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRAINED IN
DE-ESCALATION IN A CERTAIN
RESPECT, BUT ALSO THOSE PEOPLE
THAT DO NOT POSE A THREAT.
THEY'RE NONTHREATENING.
WHEN YOU HAVE A PERSON SHOWING
UP WITH A FIREARM, IT TENDS TO
ESCALATE THE SITUATION.
AND NOT INTENTIONALLY.
BUT IT JUST TENDS TO ESCALATE
THE SITUATION.
AND SO WE KNOW THAT FIRE
FIGHTERS ARE ONES THAT ARE
LOOKED AT BY THE COMMUNITY AS
FRIENDLY.
SOCIAL WORKERS ARE LOOKED AT AS
NECESSARY AND FRIENDLY.
AND SO WHEN WE HAVE THOSE TYPES
OF TRAINED INDIVIDUALS GOING
INTO THE FIELD TO RESPOND TO
THESE TYPES OF CALLS, IT REALLY
HELPS ON BOTH ENDS TO, ONE,
DE-ESCALATE THE SITUATION, BUT
TO ENSURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE
ANOTHER DONTRE HAMILTON
HAPPENING.
>> WHY WOULD DIVERTING POLICE IN
THIS WAY CREATE A SAFER
COMMUNITY?
>> AND THAT'S EXACTLY THE
REASON.
WE'VE SEEN NOT JUST HERE IN
MILWAUKEE AND ACROSS THE STATE,
BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHERE AN
OFFICER ESCALATED THE SITUATION,
NOT INTENTIONALLY MOST OFTEN,
BUT SOMETIMES INTENTIONALLY, AND
THE INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS HAVING A
MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS LOST THEIR
LIFE.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO
IS TO PRESERVE LIFE AND TO
ENSURE THAT OUR OFFICERS HAVE
THE ABILITY TO RESPOND TO THOSE
CALLS THAT THEY WERE SWORN TO
DO.
>> HOW COULD SAVING POLICE
RESPONSE FOR THE MOST SERIOUS OF
VIOLENT CRIME CALLS HELP ALSO
KIND OF STEM CRIME IN MILWAUKEE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE
CALLS FOR SERVICES THAT ARE
NEEDED FOR THEM TO RESPOND, THE
LAG TIME IS A LOT LONGER, AND SO
A BLARE BURGLARY IN PROCESS OR A
SUSPECT WITH A GUN OR A
CARJACKING OF SORTS, WE ARE
SEEING THAT THEY ARE TIED UP IN
OTHER INSTANCES WHERE THEY
SHOULD NOT BE RESPONDING TO, DOG
BARKING CALLS OR, YOU KNOW, A
DISPUTE WITH A NEIGHBOR THAT'S
NOT ESCALAT ESCALATING TO VIOLE.
WE'RE SEEING THEY NEED TO BE
FREED UP.
WHAT I'M HEARING AS I TALK TO
OFFICERS, I HAVE OFFICERS IN MY
FAMILY, AND SO WHEN I TALK TO
THEM.
THEY'RE SAYING WE'RE DOING A LOT
OF NONESSENTIAL WORK.
AND WE NEED TO BE DOING
ESSENTIAL WORK.
THIS IS TWOFOLD.
THIS IS HELPING TO ENSURE THAT
THE OFFICERS ARE RESPONDING TO
THE CALLS THAT THEY NEED TO
RESPOND TO AND THAT THE
ESPECIALLY MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS,
THEY ARE ABLE TO WALK AWAY AND
GET THE HELP THAT THEY NEED.
>> HOW BIG A PROPORTION ARE THE
CALLS FOR HELP IN MILWAUKEE THAT
ARE ACTUALLY KIND OF MENTAL
HEALTH, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CALLS
AS OPPOSED TO VIOLENT
EMERGENCIES?
>> MM-HMM.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT THE TASK
FORCE IS GOING TO BE TAKING A
LOOK AT.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE SURFACE
NUMBERS.
WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS A DEEP
DIVE TO ALL OF THE CALLS THAT
MPD ARE ADDRESSING AND TO MAKE
SURE THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT CALLS
ACTUALLY NEED TO BE RESPONDED TO
AND WHAT CALLS CAN BE DIVERTED.
>> AND HOW ARE POLICE OFFICERS
AND CITIZENS RESPONDING TO THIS
IDEA?
>> FROM WHAT WE ARE HEARING, THE
INITIAL CONVERSATION IS IT'S
NEEDED, IT'S WARRANTED, IT'S
BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.
I THINK THE COMMENTS THAT WE'VE
HEARD THAT -- VERY FEW COMMENTS
THAT WE'VE HEARD HAVE BEEN
NEGATIVE, SOME PEOPLE WHO JUST
DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TASK
FORCE IS SLATED TO DO.
THAT'S WHY I'M GRATEFUL TO BE IN
YOUR PROGRAM TODAY, TO BE ABLE
TO EXPRESS THE TRUE MEANING AND
THE TRUE MEANING BEHIND IT.
AND THAT'S LITERALLY HAVING
OFFICERS BEING FREED UP SO THEY
CAN RESPOND TO WHAT THEY NEED TO
DO, BUT ALSO MAKING SURE THAT
THIS IS A TRUST-BUILDER WITH THE
COMMUNITY.
BECAUSE OFTENTIMES WE'LL SEE
THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO CALL
THE POLICE OR CALL 911 FOR
ESPECIALLY MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS,
BECAUSE THEY DON'T FEEL THAT
THEIR LOVED ONE WOULD COME OUT
OF THAT INSTANCE ALIVE.
>> WOW.
ALL RIGHT.
WELL, ALDERPERSON CHANTIA LEWIS
FROM MILWAUKEE, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> IN THE CITY OF MADISON A
PILOT PROGRAM WITH SIMILAR AIMS
IS GETTING OFF THE GROUND.
THE CITY'S CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM
IS MADE UP OF PARAMEDICS AND
CRISIS WORKERS WHO RESPOND TO
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CALLS INSTEAD