MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee police union president says he is concerned about officer safety amid staffing shortage
Three Milwaukee police officers have been shot in the last two weeks, and four in the past five months, raising concerns about officer safety as the department faces a significant staffing shortage.
"Enough is enough. Stop trying to kill my police officers," said Alex Ayala, Milwaukee Police Association president.
Watch: Milwaukee police union president concerned about officer safety amid staffing shortage
Emotional and exhausted, Ayala was still feeling the weight of the last 24 hours.
"It was a lot to take in," Ayala said.
Ayala is not only worried about officer safety but also the toll he sees from a staffing shortage.
"We are 200 officers short and 50 detectives short — that takes a toll — that's a real number that's tangible. You have 250 people that are missing from your team. That has to take toll on the officers - a physical toll, a mental toll," Ayala said.
In addition, he says officers have been working without a new contract for three years and with wages falling behind other local police departments.
"You have to make a living wage — and I don't think our officers in Milwaukee — I don't think they have that," Ayala said.
It a stressful job, "Officers were both struck and not able to return fire," said Assistant Chief Nicole Waldner.
She says Thursday night's attack on two officers was not about staffing but an abundance of guns.
"The problem is too many people have guns — I could put an officer on every single corner — that will not eliminate the amount of guns in hands of people who shouldn't have them," Waldner said.
Milwaukee Police graduated 25 new officers this month, but the goal was 65. The city is now recruiting for the next class with a salary range of $64,000 to $85,000 a year.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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