A Milwaukee police officer is facing charges after he crashed his pickup truck on Highway 45 in Wauwatosa while allegedly driving drunk with a gun – a gun he imprudently decided to handle during his arrest.

Randall J. Chicks, 45, was charged Tuesday in Milwaukee County Circuit Court with one count of endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon while under the use of an intoxicant. If convicted, he faces up to nine months in prison and $10,000 in fines.

According to the criminal complaint:... Read More

Milwaukee, WI- County Executive Abele’s proposal to reduce the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office budget by $15 million and eliminate 133 sheriff’s deputies will have an extremely negative impact on public safety for Milwaukee County residents.

His proposal was recklessly arrived at without input or discussions with Sheriff Clarke or his administration officials to gauge the impact of these cuts.

The Sheriff’s Office current allocation of sheriff’s deputies is 346.  In 2002, there were more than 700 sheriff’s deputies.  County Executive Abele’s recommendation of laying off 133 law enforcement officers further reduces that staffing by another 1/3, all at once.