Public Safety and Justice

Having participated in the Milwaukee Police Department citizen's Academy, including ride-alongs with local police, I have seen firsthand the complexity of the situations to which they are called to respond. That is why I support programs like the Milwaukee County Crisis Assessment Response Team, Homeless Outreach Team, and Crisis MobileTeam, which provide training on crisis de-escalation, identifying mental illness and substance abuse, and pair mental health professionals with officers to link those in need with services to reduce victimization, homelessness and substance abuse.

This session, I am supporting a proposal to use part of the budget surplus to increase the amount of shared revenue sent to local governments. This would allow a city to increase the number of police officers and invest in programs to address traffic safety, youth services, mental health and homeless services, or addiction treatment. Restoring the shared revenue program would give cities more tools to address safety concerns.

 Bringing resident's public safety concerns to the floor of the Senate

One of the biggest issues facing our community is reckless driving and vehicle thefts. I have been a strong supporter of cracking down on drunk and reckless driving, and I co-sponsored a bill that would allow cameras at stoplights to identify drivers who disregard traffic signals and speed limits. The Governor recently proposed a package to increase aid to schools, including a program to bring ricer's education back to public schools. Trained, responsible drivers make our roads safer.

Another proposal I plan to pursue to ease the burden of our local governments would be to authorize the addition of more circuit courts in Milwaukee County and to designate one to primarily handle reckless and drunk driving, as well as automobile theft cases. This court would take pressure off the other already overburdened courts and would be given a variety of legal options for how to handle these cases.

I am proud to have earned the following awards related to public safety:

• Wisconsin Professional Police Association Law Enforcement Honor Roll
• Past recipient of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Legislator of the Year
• Past recipient of Wisconsin Professional Fire Fighters Legislator of the Year