UPDATE 2/17/25 at 10:00am — Milwaukee Public Schools has released the following statement to WTMJ:
“Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) remains ready to implement a School Resource Officer (SRO) program as soon as officers are made available. MPS will continue its efforts to negotiate with the City of Milwaukee regarding the implementation of SROs and is committed to working collaboratively with the City to build a sustainable SRO program.”
UPDATE 2/17/25 at 9:30am — WTMJ has learned that no Milwaukee Police officer has received school resource officer training since August of 2023.
The National Association of School Resource Officers confirms to WTMJ that as of 9:00 a.m. Central time today, no Milwaukee Police Department officer has completed NASRO’s Basic SRO Course since August 2023, and no Milwaukee Police Department officers are currently enrolled in the course at any location in Wisconsin or any surrounding state.
Per Act 12, beginning January 1, 2024, school resource officers must complete the 40-hour course sponsored by the National Association of School Resource Officers.
A court hearing remains scheduled for this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. to address Milwaukee Public School’s non-compliance with SRO implementation.
MILWAUKEE – A court-ordered deadline for Milwaukee Public Schools to reinstate school resource officers has arrived, and it remains unclear if the district will be in compliance once classes begin.
A judge ruled in January that MPS must place 25 School Resource Officers (SROs) at public schools across the district no later than February 17th. SROs would need to be be actively available during regular school hours in compliance with Act 12.
READ MORE: Judge orders school resource officers into Milwaukee Public Schools by mid-February
Act 12 was codified into Wisconsin state law in 2023 and took effect on January 1st, 2024.
MPS has technically been out of compliance with this law since it took effect, which led the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) to file a lawsuit in October on behalf of an MPS parent identified as Charlene Abughrin.
On February 11th, MPS Board of School Directors member-at-large Missy Zombor said the district was in discussions with the city regarding SRO implementation.
“Right now we have an offer on the table to the city, 33% plus training. We’ve offered to go to mediation, and so that’s where it stands right now.” said Zombor.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson has said it should be up to MPS to fund the majority of the cost for the school resource officers.
“The way we had it set up before, [where] MPS picked up the vast majority of those costs and the city took those officers on in the summertime, I think that’s a pretty good model to go on,” Mayor Johnson said during a press briefing on 2024 crime statistics last January. “Usually when you go to a restuarant, and you order a meal, the chef doesn’t prepare your meal and then pay the bill. That’s essentially what we’re being asked to do, and I think that’s wrong for taxpayers in the City of Milwaukee.”
If MPS fails to comply by this morning, the district must appear in court this afternoon at 3 p.m. to explain its noncompliance.
WTMJ has reached out to the National Association of School Resource Officers to learn if any officers with the Milwaukee Police Department have been enrolled in school resource officer training as is required by state law.
LISTEN: State lawmakers warn of consequences if MPS doesn’t add SROs
