Browsing: Crime and Justice

One recent July morning in a riverside woods west of Eau Claire, 13 high-schoolers took turns firing practice versions of PepperBalls at an old steel drum and un-abolishing the police.

More than 60 percent of Wisconsin circuit courts use text-message reminders to notify criminal defendants of upcoming court dates, but only a minority of counties send messages automatically.

While state law prohibits drivers from driving with a suspended license, it’s not a crime unless alcohol is involved.

The number of homicides rose in the city of Milwaukee in 2025 compared to 2024, while the number fell in rest of the state.

The comparison to Milwaukee’s past Socialist mayors highlights how proposals by current Democratic Socialists are much more radical, even if they’re rhetorically similar.

Sen. Cory Tomczyk expects to take criticism from his own party for helping author a bill that would allow Milwaukee police to use cameras to ticket drivers going at least 15 mph over the speed limit or blowing through red lights.

Vague Wisconsin laws have allowed teachers who are sexual predators to groom children without fearing either appropriately severe criminal penalties or sufficient scrutiny of their teaching licenses, according to testimony Thursday from law enforcement and education administrators.

And what adults who’ve lost control need to do about it Sometimes they get lucky, the many kids in Milwaukee…

An analysis of federal data reveals that only 16 percent of violent crimes in Wisconsin’s region of the country result in an arrest of a suspect, and 4 percent of property crimes result in an arrest.

Federal enforcement of cannabis laws in Wisconsin has been minimal in recent years, with only 67 individuals sentenced for federal marijuana crimes since 2017 and none at all in the Western District between 2020 and 2023.

The rate of homicides per 100,000 residents remains over 10 times greater in Milwaukee than the last five years’ average rate in the rest of Wisconsin.

By one measure, Outagamie and Brown at top of list Meth is injected, smoked, snorted or ingested in just about…

A Milwaukee County judge lambasted the Milwaukee School Board in a rare broadside aimed at finally getting cops back in MPS high schools.

In 2023, the drug most often identified in samples sent by law enforcement to the State Crime Lab was meth, which accounted for 1,378 of the 4,805 samples tested — more than cocaine or heroin or fentanyl or even THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.

While Milwaukee continues to struggle putting sworn officers on the streets, the police departments in Wisconsin’s other largest cities are at or fast approaching full staffing.

The median time it takes to close out felony criminal cases is down 5% from 2022 to 2023, and the median misdemeanor criminal case is reaching a conclusion 2% faster, according to figures from the Wisconsin Court System.

While Wisconsin rarely prosecutes possession or sale of larger amounts of marijuana, some municipalities are much more likely than others to prosecute less serious violations.

In the 2023-24 school year, MPS schools called police 1,245 times for help with allegations of everything from armed robbery to sexual assault to felony theft.

MPS may regret its ongoing resistance to the state’s resource officer requirement the next time it comes to the Legislature looking for tax money.

There will be no police officers in Milwaukee Public Schools when classes begin this Tuesday, violating a requirement that is part of the current state budget.