School resource officers in MPS; the next steps
School resource officers in MPS; the next steps
Nine days and counting, that's how long the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Public Schools have to get school resource officers back in the schools.
MILWAUKEE - Nine days and counting, that's how long the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee Public Schools have to get school resource officers back in the schools.
What we know:
This order came down on Monday, Feb. 17, after Milwaukee County Judge David Borowski ordered MPS and the city to split the cost of school resource officers 50-50.
The backstory:
It stems back to 2023, when Gov. Tony Evers signed a law that allowed the city to implement a sales tax. Part of the deal required MPS to put 25 school resource officers in schools by last January.
A parent sued when that didn’t happen.
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Now negotiations are underway where the city and MPS will have to agree on a memorandum of understanding, which will lay out the details of what's next.
What they're saying:
Milwaukee Police Association President Alexander Ayala doesn't think much will change.
Milwaukee Police Association President Alexander Ayala
Ayala said there was already an SRO system in place from 2016 to 2020 and expects things to be implemented in the same way.
"No police officer is going to be occupying any MPS school," he said. "A school calls and instead of having someone from a district respond to the school, you’ll have one of these SROs respond to the school, take care of the call, and then they’re gone."
School resource officers in MPS; judge orders city, district split cost
A Milwaukee County judge ordered on Monday, Feb. 17 that Milwaukee Public Schools and the City of Milwaukee must split the cost of putting school resource officers in schools.
Ayala said MPD already responds to more than a thousand calls a year to MPS, so they are trained in dealing with schools and kids.
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"I think now with this clear decision from the judge, MPD can get clear direction on how to proceed forward once this little battle between the city and MPS is settled," he said.
What's next:
If the city and MPS don't comply, they could face contempt and fines. Both say they are prepared to comply with the court order.
The Source: FOX6 News utilized an interview with Milwaukee Police Association President Alexander Ayala and prior coverage for this report.