UPDATE at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 7, 2022: Milwaukee police officer killed in line of duty ID’d as MKE native Peter E. Jerving
MILWAUKEE — For the fifth time since 2018, an officer with the Milwaukee Police Department was killed in the line of duty overnight Tuesday — this time, by a 19-year-old suspect who has since died. In an appearance on The Steve Scaffidi Show Tuesday morning, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson reaffirmed his belief that these tragedies can be prevented at home.
“I need everybody to step up and be a part of this too, right? So when somebody leaves their home or their neighborhood and they have a propensity to do something bad, then we’ve got to step up and stop them,” the Milwaukee Mayor said. “We can’t be afraid to engage, we can’t be afraid to talk to young people and to provide resources and opportunity for them so that there’s course correction now so that it doesn’t end up in a deadly encounter with police or otherwise years down the line.”
Scaffidi expressed his dismay during the conversation with the Milwaukee Mayor, questioning what the city is actively doing to prevent incidents like this.
Johnson cited Camp Rise, one of Milwaukee’s youth outreach program that identifies at-risk young people and gives them the tools to become leaders in their communities. He also highlighted investments in the Milwaukee Police Department in his executive budget for 2023 while calling on resources from the state and federal governments for a city which has seen record highs in homicides through consecutive years.
“My thoughts immediately go out to the police officer, to their family, to the greater law enforcement community — especially those officers who put on a badge, put on their boots, hit the streets in Milwaukee every single day to protect and serve our community,” Mayor Johnson said.
Scaffidi begins the segment by highlighting a major discrepancy in the killings of Milwaukee police officers. Before this series in 2018, it had been 22 years without a Milwaukee police officer being killed in the line of duty. He wondered what needs to change to prevent this loss of life moving forward. The Milwaukee Mayor’s answer?
“Zero in and focus on root causes. These root causes that ultimately percolate up and become violent outbursts that sometimes lead to death,” Mayor Johnson said. “It takes everybody to be involved in public safety…
“I’m not just talking about teachers, or elected officials or the police — I’m talking about parents too. Everybody’s got a role here.”
BREAKING COVERAGE: Officer shot, killed on Milwaukee’s south side
Johnson continued that the suspect, who was confirmed to be a 19-year-old male, was “probably sitting on somebody’s couch” not long ago, likely “doing dirt.” He cited that someone in this individual’s family must have known that they had a “propensity to cause death, harm [and] destruction.”
The top factors that Mayor Johnson cited that are impacting the increased rate of violent crime in Milwaukee include sentencing, Wisconsin’s lackluster support for law enforcement, family issues and a lack of mental health resources.
“When somebody causes death, harm, and destruction in Milwaukee — or anywhere, quite frankly, there ought to be a consequence,” the Milwaukee Mayor stated. “It’s incumbent upon all of to say the and say that firmly.”
Scaffidi asked Mayor Johnson whether he would support legislation that would direct funds toward hiring law enforcement officers in Milwaukee. He said that he would back legislation like this, but that it would take more than a one-time influx of resources to fix the systemic issues at hand.
“Policing is a very expensive proposition and if they’re going to commit funds to that, I would like for there to be funds that not only are a one-time thing, but to continue on in the investment.”
WTMJ will host continuing coverage of this incident throughout the day. Tune in live by clicking here and visit back to WTMJ.com for more details as they break.
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