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MPD to utilize 2-person squads “until better intelligence developed regarding Dallas, Baton Rouge”
MPD to utilize 2-person squads "until better intelligence developed regarding Dallas, Baton Rouge"
MILWAUKEE -- Officials with the Milwaukee Police Department say officers will be dispatched in two-person squad cars full-time "until a better intelligence picture is developed regarding the Dallas and Baton Rouge attacks."
The change also comes in the wake of an incident on Milwaukee's south side on Sunday, July 17th.
Brandon Baranowski, a 31-year-old Milwaukee police officer, was shot and wounded while on the scene of a domestic violence-related call. Baranowski, one of two officers on scene in separate squads, was seated alone in his patrol car when a suspect approached on foot and fired a gun several times into the squad, striking the officer several times.
MPD officer shot, wounded near 17th and Morgan
An MPD spokesman said the following in a statement to FOX6 News on Monday, July 18th:
MPD officer shot, wounded near 17th and Morgan
So how does sending officers on two-person patrols change the dynamics of policing? FOX6 News got answers from Brian Dorow, the dean of the criminal justice program at Waukesha County Technical College.
"You have a degree of safety because your partner is right next to you," Dorow said. "What we are seeing with the ambush shootings, the execution of these officers, to have a partner there is going to provide added safety because you are going to have what we call 'contact-cover.'"
MPD officer shot, wounded near 17th and Morgan
It can also change where officers patrol and when.
"But certainly it also reduces the amount of officers in a given beat area. You're cutting it unless your're bringing in additional staff," Dorow said.
MPD officer shot, wounded near 17th and Morgan
One thing is certain, police work is inherently dangerous. Dorow said any situation has the potential to be dangerous.
"Routine calls are no longer routine. as we know it. The barking dog complaint, the theft complaint, all of this stuff can escalate to where the officer is in a horrible situation," Dorow said.
Dorow says MPD's decision to send officers together is a scenario departments across the country have to consider daily.
MPD officer shot, wounded near 17th and Morgan
Meanwhile, officials with the Milwaukee Police Association released this statement Monday: