MILWAUKEE — The City of Milwaukee has filed a motion seeking relief from Judge David Borowski’s order issued on Feb. 20 requiring the city and Milwaukee Public Schools to return school resource officers to MPS buildings by Feb. 27, or risk being held in contempt of court.
City Attorney Evan Goyke released the following statement to WTMJ:
“The City has filed a motion seeking relief from Judge Borowski’s order issued on February 20th. In his order, the Judge declared that Milwaukee Police Officers should be deployed into Milwaukee Public Schools prior to the completion of the specific training required by state law. The City believes this decision places too much risk on City tax payers and is counter to the best interests of the City, the individual officers, the school district, and the students and staff of the schools. While we have every confidence that our officers will act lawfully and with distinction when deployed as School Resource Officers, we believe the specific training required by state law is critical to the long term success of this program. Accordingly, the City has asked the Judge for relief from this portion of his order and to delay the deployment of officers until the required training can be performed. The Police Department has posted the position internally and the Common Council will act in special session to approve the agreement with MPS as quickly as the city charter allows. The City remains committed to complying with the law as well as the Judge’s order and will deploy School Resource Officers as quickly as possible and with the required training completed.”
According to court documents filed Tuesday as part of a lawsuit against MPS filed by the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty on behalf of a parent in October, Goyke stated the city could not comply with the condition of Act 12 that requires SROs in MPS buildings, because no Milwaukee Police officers had the training required to do so.
“Deploying officers without the statutorily required training…opens the City – and hence, city taxpayers – to significant liability.” said Goyke.
The Milwaukee Police Department has posted the position internally and the Common Council will act in special session to approve the agreement with MPS as quickly as the city charter allows, according to Goyke. The next full Common Council meeting is March 4th, and a resolution adopting the Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Milwaukee and MPS relating to SROs is Item 44 on the agenda.
The National Association of School Resource Officers confirmed to WTMJ that as of Wednesday morning, no Milwaukee Police Officers had enrolled in their SRO training courses. In addition to the SRO condition in Act 12, Wisconsin state law requires at least 40 hours of training for officers stationed in school buildings.
Following Judge Borowski’s Feb. 20 ruling, the MPS Board of School Directors voted unanimously to spend $795,979 dollars for the re-implementation of SROs. At the meeting, the board said they anticipated the arrival of SROS before the Feb. 27 deadline.
READ MORE: Milwaukee Public Schools board approves school resource officer funding
Wisconsin State Representative, Bob Donovan says he better see some SROS in Milwaukee Public Schools on Thursday’s deadline or else he plans to push legislation in Madison to have the state of Wisconsin cut funding off for the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Public Schools.
“For over a year, MPS and the city of Milwaukee has been breaking state law,” said Donovan on Wisconsin’s Afternoon News. “A year ago, Chief Norman told me himself that Milwaukee Police Officers are more than trained and ready to go into those schools at a moment’s notice. They should’ve gotten those officers into the schools before. That is absolutely no excuse and I hope to God, judge Borowski throws some people into jail for their contempt and their unwillingness to do the right thing and abide by the state law.”
A court hearing set by Judge Borowski for 10:00 a.m. Thursday is still on as scheduled, according to court records.
