MILWAUKEE, WI – The following is the statement of County Executive David Crowley in response to the early morning shooting of a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office deputy early this morning:
“This morning, like so many other residents, I woke up and was shocked to receive the awful news that a Milwaukee County Sheriff Officer was shot multiple times in the line of duty while conducting a traffic stop. My family and I have been praying to hear good news about the officer’s condition and we are pleased to know that the injuries do not appear life threatening. We wish this deputy a full and fast recovery. I am grateful for our Milwaukee County Sheriff Officers who put their lives in harm’s way to help keep our community safe.
“I share the frustration that I hear from residents concerning the reckless, violent, and unnecessary incidents taking place in our neighborhoods all too often. We are seeing how the pandemic, economic pressures, family needs, and other stressors are taking their toll on all of us. It is a difficult and sobering time for our community right now.
“Milwaukee County is committed to meeting the needs of our residents. Our vision is to achieve racial equity and improve public health across the county, but we also know that healthy neighborhoods are safe neighborhoods. We create safe and healthy blocks by recognizing the humanity in each and every one of our neighbors and working to ensure their needs are met.
“We take the health and safety of all of our residents seriously. We’ve worked hard to move services upstream and meet people where they are to make sure their needs are fulfilled. We are committed to our task of achieving racial and equity and becoming the healthiest county in Wisconsin, but we cannot do this alone, or it will fail, and our region will never realize its true potential.
“Over the coming days and weeks, I will be working with leadership at Milwaukee County to determine what further steps we can take to keep our residents healthy and keep our streets safe.
“We need all hands-on-deck for this effort. That means everyone – neighborhood organizations, elected officials, corporate leaders, neighborhood block captains and other changemakers – coming together to improve our County block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood. I ask all of our community leaders to heed this call and join in the work to improve life for our residents.”
