MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voted recently to amend the 2024 county budget to include funds for a third-party audit of the Milwaukee County Jail.
The move comes after the Sheriff’s Office submitted a report to the County Board on an overhaul of policies and practices. That includes the monitoring of the Milwaukee County Jail by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, staffing challenges and budget constraints.
The budget constraints will be addressed this week as the County Board adopts County Executive David Crowley’s Recommended Budget for 2024. There will be a 12% increase in funding to the Sheriff’s Office, an increase in correctional officers on staff, fund pay raises to existing correctional officers and more.
Sheriff Denita Ball released the following statement responding to the amendment:
“As the sheriff of Milwaukee County, whose agency operates the county’s primary pre-trial detention facility, it has always been my position that one death in custody is one too many. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office has cooperated with other reviews and will cooperate with this audit. And should it be adopted by the full board, we encourage the Board to act quickly to begin and complete this process, as we share a desire to always improve the safety and efficiency of the Milwaukee County Jail.”
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