Milwaukee Co. sheriff says violent start to 2022 is 'frustrating'

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas is reacting to the shootings and reckless driving the community has already seen so far in 2022.

Three law enforcement officers, two police officers and one sheriff's deputy, were shot in Milwaukee this year. The deputy was shot two weeks ago following a traffic stop near 68th and Adler.

"Being a gun violence survivor myself as an officer, I understand what it's like out there -- the dangers that those officers face. And I'm just so grateful that not only our deputy but also the two members of Milwaukee Police Department are going to be on the road to recovery," Lucas said.

As someone who grew up in the Harambee neighborhood, Lucas said it's difficult to see people in Milwaukee solve their problems with guns.

"As sheriff, certainly we have seen levels of crime at an all-time high the last couple of years," he said. "January was one of the worst months on record."

And then there's reckless driving. Lucas said he would like to see local leaders ask Congress to put pressure on automakers.

"They can do something about the design of vehicles so that it knows who's driving that vehicle and can stop it and certainly can do something about the speed at which a vehicle is traveling and again, govern it such that that vehicle will either slow down or stop," Lucas explained.

The sheriff said he's proud of his office's role in the Milwaukee Bucks celebration over the summer and the scaled-down 2020 Democratic National Convention. But he's tired of the violence.

"It's frustrating for all of us as leaders that we want to work even harder to do more for this community," he said.

CBS 58 also asked the sheriff whether he finds it unusual to see all of this violence happening during such cold temperatures as opposed to the summer. He said he believes it's indicative of how severe the problem is.