The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.

In a recent column, I wrote about a troubling attitude taking hold among some Madison politicians: a growing willingness to excuse criminal behavior, minimize consequences, and treat law enforcement as the problem instead of the criminals who prey on innocent people.

Wisconsin has seen far too many cases where dangerous offenders were released, given low bail, placed on signature bond, or allowed to remain in the community despite serious pending charges or supervision concerns, only for more innocent people to be hurt or killed. These are not isolated anecdotes. They point to recurring failures at multiple decision points: charging, bail, supervision, revocation, and sentencing.

Everyone remembers the Waukesha Christmas Parade massacre. Darrell Brooks was out on $1,000 bail in Milwaukee County after being accused of running over the mother of his child with the same SUV later used in the parade attack. Six people were killed and dozens more were injured. Milwaukee County prosecutors later acknowledged the bail recommendation was inappropriately low.

In Milwaukee, Rashaun Seaberry was charged in one homicide case, then released on a $30,000 signature bond with GPS monitoring. Less than a month later, prosecutors said he was involved in another shooting that killed 19-year-old Camiona Funches, a young woman who had overcome tremendous challenges and was celebrating graduation.

The examples are many and the pattern is bigger than any one case. A FOX6 investigation found that in 2021, one in five Milwaukee County homicide or attempted homicide suspects were already out on bond for another felony. More than half of those pending cases were violent.

Perhaps the most disturbing incident from the FOX6 investigation is the case of Dequan McMillon. In 2019, he was charged after allegedly fleeing police while possessing cocaine, methamphetamine, and a firearm. Prosecutors sought a $5,000 cash bail, but the court imposed a signature bond, allowing him to leave jail without paying anything. While that case remained pending, prosecutors alleged that McMillon violently attacked the mother of his children, choking her until she lost consciousness. Despite those allegations, an existing felony case, and a pretrial risk assessment which rated him a high risk both for failing to appear and for committing a new crime while on release, he was freed again. Seven months later, prosecutors say he shot and killed 23-year-old Brittany Meyer in front of their two children.

More than four years after that shocking FOX6 report, Milwaukee is grieving the death of 34-year-old Dylan Plouff, a security guard, husband, and father of four. According to reporting by WISN 12’s James Stratton, the suspect, Daniel McRae, had been released from custody just days before the attack. If court records ultimately confirm those reports, this case would represent another Wisconsin family paying the price for a justice system that failed to recognize a serious public safety risk before it was too late.

These stories and statistics should shock every lawmaker in Madison. Instead, too many legislators on the left continue pushing in the opposite direction. They talk about reducing penalties, limiting accountability, expanding privileges for inmates, and making it harder to revoke supervision when offenders violate the terms of their release. They call it compassion.

Lost in many of these debates are the more than 13,000 men and women in Wisconsin who put on a badge every day and run toward danger when everyone else is running away. Officers respond to domestic violence calls, overdoses, traffic crashes, mental health crises, armed robberies, and countless emergencies. They make tens of thousands arrests annually. They work nights, weekends, and holidays knowing that every traffic stop and every call for service carries uncertainty. When elected officials fail to hold repeat offenders accountable, it is not only victims who are let down. It sends a message to the officers doing the hard work of making arrests that their efforts may be undone before the ink is dry on the arrest report.

These failures did not occur in a vacuum. For years, Wisconsin has seen elected officials and advocacy groups push a criminal justice philosophy that places greater emphasis on diversion, reduced incarceration, and limiting the use of cash bail. Attorney General Josh Kaul opposed Wisconsin’s constitutional bail reforms even after the Waukesha Parade tragedy highlighted the dangers of releasing high-risk offenders. Since taking office, Kaul has advocated for Treatment Alternatives and Diversion (TAD) programs. These programs can play an important role for appropriate nonviolent offenders, particularly those struggling with addiction, but Wisconsin families deserve a justice system that recognizes the difference between a first-time mistake and a dangerous repeat offender.

Being pro-public safety is not extreme. It is basic government responsibility. When prosecutors fail to pursue appropriate charges, when courts set low or signature bonds for violent offenders, when supervision violations go unanswered, and when legislators undermine accountability, the public loses trust. Worse, innocent people lose their lives.

Knodl, R-Germantown, represents the 24th Assembly District.