Alderman: Increased State Patrol presence could reduce Milwaukee interstate shootings

Alderman: Increased State Patrol presence could reduce Milwaukee interstate shootings
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MILWAUKEE COUNTY (CBS 58) -- After a third shooting on I-43 near Milwaukee in 14 days, drivers are becoming concerned.

“I think it definitely is an issue, and I think it’s a problem," said Trevor Thomas, who works near one of the recent highway shootings."I think that the public is unsafe when things like that happen.”

Some residents are now avoiding taking the interstate altogether because of the violence.

“I try not to think about it, but now lately it’s been happening a lot, so I’m just like taking the side streets now,” Christine Crivello said.

Milwaukee Alderman Cavalier Johnson says Milwaukee County is unique in Wisconsin by having the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office responsible for patrolling the interstate.

“So instead of having the State Patrol come in and patrol the freeway like it does in every other community, every other county in the state, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department is in charge of doing that,” Johnson said.

Johnson says if the state did allocate more patrols to the interstate, it would not only make the highway safer, it would make the rest of the county safer.

“Free up sheriff’s deputies who are currently patrolling the freeways to go and patrol county parks," Johnson said. "And not just county parks. And not just the parks, but the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the parks.”

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