Wisconsin Right Now

Some criminal cases have been dismissed because of the delays. Milwaukee County criminal courts are operating with a two-year backlog, and the felony case backlog was estimated at 1,615 cases in the latest estimate from late August, the Chief Judge confirmed to Wisconsin Right Now . We received a tip about the backlogs, which the Chief Judge, Mary Triggiano, revealed in a recent meeting before the County Board. We also obtained audio of her comments; we then called her to obtain additional context, and she spoke to us at length, explaining the situation. Milwaukee County's misdemeanor courts have a 2,800 case backlog, she said. The criminal traffic division has a 1,400 case backlog, and small claims has a 2,800 backlog, which partly consists of eviction cases that were tolled because of the moratorium on them. She acknowledged that some criminal cases have been dismissed because of the delays, noting that sometimes witnesses and victims vanish when cases languish. Triggi

"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