Milwaukee County Courthouse and sheriff’s office at a standstill over bailiff staffing

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Safety and staffing issues have left the Milwaukee County Courthouse and the sheriff’s office at a standstill once again.

In a meeting with county board supervisors, Chief Deputy Daniel Hughes said they're no longer requiring deputies to work overtime to staff the courthouse.

“There was shock, dismay, and absolute frustration that they would not have the proper level of security in the courtroom,” said Chief Judge Carl Ashley of Wisconsin’s First Judicial District.

This comes after the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office was projected to be $7 million over budget.

“I don’t know if anybody in this room has ever worked 112, but it’s a crazy amount of hours in a pay period,” said Hughes. “We have been doing it, but we’ve been doing it, essentially, to our own demise.”

Milwaukee County’s top judge made a plea to county supervisors, stating that’s a safety risk the county can’t take. Ashley says this policy would reduce the number of bailiffs per courtroom from two to one.

“The reality is, and it’s been noted over and over again, we simply don’t have enough deputies,” said Ashley. “One of the things that should be pretty clear to everyone is that there are legitimate safety concerns.”

Just this week, Ashley says the courthouse is down 19 deputies. He says it's not a matter of “if” someone’s safety is compromised, it's a matter of “when.”

“Things that happen in those courts, unfortunately turn violent very quickly, and having no deputy in the room is problematic,” said Ashley.

County supervisors say they believe a solution has to come from Madison.