School resource officers in MPS; judge holds Milwaukee in contempt

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County Judge David Borowski on Thursday, Feb. 27 held the City of Milwaukee in contempt for failure to comply with a judge's deadline to require SROs in Milwaukee Public Schools. The judge then stayed that order.

Court hearing Thursday

What we know:

Judge Borowski fined the City of Milwaukee $1,000 per day, but then temporarily stayed that order at the request of the city until March 15. The date of the next court hearing is March 17.

"In my view it's been the city’s intent for a year and a half – either intentionally or neglectfully – to run the clock on this situation," Judge Borowski said. "The city – apparently not thinking this is urgent."

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The contempt order can be avoided or purged by the following:

• The City of Milwaukee comes back with a list of what the Common Council approved, making all approvals necessary to move forward.
• The City of Milwaukee and MPS provide the judge with the names of officers and schools assigned to them.
• By March 15, the judge wants proof that the training of these officers has occurred or been scheduled.

Effort to secure SROs in schools

Wisconsin law required school resource officers to be back in Milwaukee Public Schools by January 2024. They were not. 

"They were ordered to do this a long time ago," said Charlene Abughrin.

Abughrin is an MPS parent who sued the school board and the city. The judge ruled in favor of Abughrin He ordered that SROs be reinstated by Feb. 27 – and that they enroll in school resource officer training. 

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The City of Milwaukee is now asking for more time so officers can complete the training – saying it is critical to do so for student safety and success. 

Again, if the city does not place SROs in schools or show proof of progress by March 15, the city will be forced to pay $1,000 a day. 

Official statements

What they're saying:

Milwaukee Public Schools

"At the onset of ACT 12’s passage, the District made every effort to work with the City of Milwaukee and with stakeholders to ensure compliance with ACT 12."

'As we have shared, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) stands ready to implement a School Resource Officer (SRO) program as soon as officers are made available to the district."

"MPS will continue to do everything within our power to ensure compliance with the law and to honor Judge David Borowski’s ruling."

Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke

"Since 2023, the City of Milwaukee has worked to comply with the law to deploy school resource officers. We will complete the work as quickly as possible. With the Judge’s stay of his order, we expect to fully comply with the law prior to any sanctions being imposed. The City is taking concrete steps to identify, train, and deploy school resource officers at appropriate locations in order to accomplish the shared goals of ensuring safety and compliance with the law."