Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn says public safety tax will ensure city gets enough money to fight crime
As Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn reflects one year since fires and looting in Sherman Park following an officer involved shooting, he is raising a familiar concern.
He says Milwaukee needs its fair share of state revenue to fight crime. Otherwise, it should be allowed to find another way.
"Give us our fair share," Chief Flynn tells CBs 58 News. "Or let us as the mayor proposed, have a public safety tax that people can vote on whether to enact and let's raise some revneue for that. But the city is all in. The problem is nobody else is."
The chief maintains that support of police from homeowners remains strong in Sherman Park.
He acknowledges a strata of young men who are not supportive because their experiences with police have been less than positive.
"Some of that is baked into the reality of crime and vicitimization in that community," says Chief Flynn. "It's a challenge for us but we have to accept the reality that the police become a flashpint, but they're not the cause of the stress in those neighborhoods."
Chief Flynn maintains that the refusal or inability to address social issues from drug addiction to domestic violence continues to create a gaping hole when it comes to instilling a sense of security.
"We've become the social agency of first resort for everything," Flynn said of his officers. "And there seems to be this ambient thought that whatever the social problem is it's curable by more training for police. the problems are much bigger than that. our political leaders have got to quite their bickering and start grappling with the significant, bigger issues. Right now it's only the cops and community together fighting serious levels of homicidal violence and non fatal shootings. People trying to intrude on that relationship are doing more harm than good."
CBS 58 News is following through with a promise we made to you one year ago to chart the city's progress in moving forward after the fires and looting in Sherman Park after an officer involved shooting in August of 2016.
Look for continuing conversation on all of our newscasts culminating with special coverage Sunday on the CBS 58 News at 5:30 which is the one year mark.