Wisconsin Right Now

"Instead of worrying what they are calling their inmates, maybe the MCSO should worry about their blue flu," a source told Wisconsin Right Now, but the Sheriff's spokesman points to the County Board and Executive, who have power over compensation. The Milwaukee County Jail is struggling with severe staffing shortages that appear partly driven by low pay that isn't comparable to the pay offered by other local jails, such as Racine's, Wisconsin Right Now has learned. They're 84 people short, with three more correctional officers resigning last week alone. The staffing crunch is even more severe due to people calling in sick, sources told us. How bad is the crisis in the jail? A source told us more than 35 correctional officers called in sick on Saturday and more than 25 called in sick on Sunday alone. The Sheriff's spokesman confirmed to Wisconsin Right Now that "we are currently operating at 177 out of 261 officer positions filled, a number tha...

The Milwaukee County Jail is struggling with severe staffing shortages that appear partly driven by low pay that isn't comparable to the pay offered by other local jails, such as Racine's, Wisconsin Right Now has learned. They're 84 people short, with three more correctional officers resigning last week alone. The Sheriff's spokesman confirmed to Wisconsin Right Now that "we are currently operating at 177 out of 261 officer positions filled, a number that's decreased at a fast pace over the preceding months." The staffing crunch is even more severe due to people calling in sick, sources told us. The problems in the jail come at a time of skyrocketing crime in Milwaukee, and they're causing Milwaukee police to have to hold people for days in district stations, when they would normally be held for hours, a source told Wisconsin Right Now. We also heard that the issues are coming on the heels of a gradual reduction in budgeted positions over the years...