Number
060219
Version
ORIGINAL
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. DONOVAN
Title
Resolution in support of a plan to enhance public safety strategies and resources in the City of Milwaukee.
Analysis
This resolution endorses an 8-point plan to enhance public safety strategies and resources in the City of Milwaukee.
Body
Whereas, Public safety in the City of Milwaukee is among the highest priorities for maintaining tranquility, security and a positive quality of life for citizens; and
Whereas, Recent events that have occurred in the city indicate that swift and thorough responses to public safety concerns are imperative; and
Whereas, Citizens throughout the City of Milwaukee are seeking proactive policing in the city’s neighborhoods in order to detect and deter criminal activity and violation of civic order that decrease the quality of life in those neighborhoods; and
Whereas, The adoption and implementation of any plan to address public safety will include both short-term implementation and longer-term processes and planning; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that an 8-point plan be endorsed to enhance public safety efforts in the City of Milwaukee; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the 8-point plan include the following:
1. The Milwaukee Police Department will receive all necessary resources, including police officer personnel up to its current authorized strength, to provide for public order and to respond to citizen calls for service in a timely and thorough fashion.
2. The Governor and State Legislature will grant authority to the City of Milwaukee to impose a one-half percent municipal sales tax to fund increased police services and to alleviate the current property tax burden applied to police services in the city.
3. The Milwaukee Police Department will be authorized to create a part-time police officer position in order to employ and engage the experience of retired police officers.
4. The Milwaukee Police Department will be authorized to utilize lateral transfers of qualified and certified law enforcement officers from other jurisdictions who desire to work in the City of Milwaukee and to be employed as police officers with training abbreviated from that which is currently required.
5. The Fire and Police Commission will change its admission criteria for the position of police officer to require 60 college credits in order to raise the standards of professionalism for recruits as well as to transfer some of the initial cost of police training prior to formal city employment.
6. The Milwaukee Police Department will engage a “Broken Windows” approach to policing in order to address quality of life issues in the city.
7. The Milwaukee Police Department will assign more foot-patrol and bicycle officers to be assigned to neighborhoods in order to improve and promote police-community relations.
8. The 2007 city capital projects budget will include funding for surveillance cameras for deployment in select areas throughout the city for the purpose of crime detection and prevention.
; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the 8-point plan listed not be exclusive of other efforts and strategies that may contribute to the enhancement of public safety in the City of Milwaukee.
Requestor
Drafter
LRB 06268-1
mar
05/30/2006