MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee police were stretched thin over the Fourth of July weekend as fights, injuries, and an officer-involved shooting broke out across multiple entertainment districts — all on the same night.
The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) is roughly 200 officers short, according to the union that represents MPD officers. A staffing gap that complicated efforts to cover festivals and entertainment districts simultaneously.
Fights broke out at the America 250 celebration at Summerfest. A firework blast knocked an officer to the ground, injuring her — and the moment was caught on camera. On Water Street, an officer was struck by a vehicle, leading to an officer-involved shooting. All of it unfolded late Saturday night into early Sunday morning.
Alex Ayala, president of the Milwaukee Police Association, said patrol officers were pulled from every district across the city this Fourth of July weekend to help cover downtown entertainment districts, with officers working overtime, extending shifts on the holiday, and putting themselves in harm’s way.
“I mean there’s not enough officers out there. We’re about 170 officers short and about 30 detectives. So MPD is about 200 officers, total, short-staffed,” Ayala said.
Watch: Milwaukee police short 200 officers amid holiday weekend chaos in entertainment districts; Mayor reacts
Police staffing concerns in Milwaukee
Ayala said the city should be doing more to recruit a larger police force ahead of weekends like this one.
“I wish the city would put in more effort to get more officers in the recruit classes,” Ayala said. “They are prioritizing, I believe, other things instead of the safety and the staffing of everyone in the city of Milwaukee by having a fully staffed police department.”
TMJ4’s Ryan Jenkins took those concerns to Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who pushed back on the criticism Monday.
“I would say that they’re wrong. I’m going through the budget right now, and the budgets that I have produced and presented to the city council over the past number of years have included maximum funding for the classes and recruits that we can have in our police academy in the City of Milwaukee,” Johnson said.
The mayor said he wants a fully staffed police department but argued the violence and recklessness seen over the weekend point to a deeper issue.
“This is beyond a policing thing. I don’t want to put this at the feet of the police department. Those folks who go down there and cause problems. They make a decision. They make a decision to go down to a trafficked area, an entertainment area, and just show out and act silly, act stupid, and it’s not fair for anybody. It’s wrong,” Johnson said.
TMJ4 News asked for an interview with Police Chief Jeffery Norman Monday and was told he wasn’t available but will address these concerns in a press conference Tuesday.
This story was reported on-air by TMJ4’s Ryan Jenkins and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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