Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson joins city health department officials on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, to give updates about the flood recovery efforts. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)

Milwaukee County continues to process the aftermath of a historic flooding that swept through the area  last weekend. Although much of the flood water, which exceeded 10 inches in some areas, has receded, emergency shelters are still  providing services to people displaced by the extreme weather, and community clean-up efforts continue. 

At a press conference Wednesday, Mayor Cavalier Johnson said residents should call 211 to report property damage, which he called an important  step towards achieving an official disaster declaration, which in turn could provide additional resources. Johnson said local officials continue to work with state and federal partners to access resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and noted a recent visit to the city by Gov. Tony Evers. 

“We’re asking for the federal government to do their part and issue some relief to the folks here in Milwaukee with some assistance from FEMA,” Johnson said. The city continues to wait for President Donald Trump’s administration to respond to Milwaukee’s calls for support. Johnson encouraged residents to report downed trees, abandoned vehicles, standing water and to check on neighbors or loved ones. 

The mayor praised Milwaukeeans for “stepping up,” helping senior citizens to clear out basements and  clearing out storm drains. “We really appreciate the efforts of people all across our city who are stepping up to make this a safer place for everybody as we work to get through the aftermath of the storm,”  he said. “We’re a resilient city, we always have been, we always will be, and we will get through this together.”

Johnson was joined by Mike Totoraitis, commissioner of the Milwaukee Health Department. Totoraitis said that calling 211 “is your best connection to resources at this point,” noting that “there are some large wait times on 211 during those peak hours.” Like the mayor, Totoraitis said that calling 211 is also one of the best ways to essentially convince the federal government to send assistance. “We know that many people have lost water heaters, furnaces, furniture, personal effects, there is a lot of damage that has happened,” he said. “Drive through neighborhoods across the city and see just debris and items out on someone’s driveway. So this is a critical moment to get those damage reports in, and then we’re also using that to help prioritize where we’re going to bring additional resources.”

Working with the Red Cross and other partners, Totoraitis said that the city is deploying hundreds of cleaning kits and other supplies. Meanwhile, the health department is monitoring signs of disease. Totoraitis said residents should assume any standing water in the streets or in homes is contaminated with sewage and avoid it. 

The Red Cross has established two shelters, one on the near North Side and another on the South Side, to help people displaced by the flood. Dozens of people sought assistance from the shelters, a Red Cross worker told Wisconsin Examiner. The two locations have recently been consolidated into one shelter now operating out of Marshall High School, according to a Red Cross worker.

On Monday, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley thanked first responders, Evers, and the National Guard for assisting. “I know this is an incredibly challenging and devastating time for many of our residents, but I’m inspired seeing neighbors helping neighbors, businesses stepping up to support those in need, and the tireless dedication of our first responders and emergency management personnel,” said Crowley. “Milwaukee County is a strong and resilient community, and I know that by coming together, we will persevere.” On Tuesday, Crowley walked through storm-damaged neighborhoods near Brown Deer with officials from the county’s Office of Emergency Management.

On Wednesday, Wisconsin Policy Forum released a report warning that severe flooding could become more frequent. “Over the past 45 years Wisconsin has seen a dramatic increase in damage caused by flooding, as the climate has warmed, extreme rains have become more common, and urban development has continued,” the report states. “Increased flooding in turn has resulted in larger payouts on flood insurance claims, as well as increased federal and state payments for disaster recovery. With projections suggesting that continued climate change will further increase the likelihood of extreme rains, federal, state, and local governments will need to deal with the consequences.” 

The report shows that during the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, flood insurance damage claims for property in Wisconsin exceeded $40 million. Severe floods that struck Milwaukee in 2008 caused nearly $50 million in flood insurance damage claims. “Current projections show that the frequency of heavy rain events and the potential for devastating floods will continue to grow over the coming decades,” the report states. “Property owners, along with state and local governments, will be on the hook for the costs of cleaning up and rebuilding after these floods occur. As costs grow, they may begin to stress state and local budgets, especially if state leaders decide to cover a growing share of the rebuilding costs. In addition, there are some questions about the federal government’s long-term commitment to covering these costs, which may push additional costs onto the state.” 

Taking care of each other

Many people are continuing to wrap their minds around the scale of the flood damage. When Evers visited Milwaukee County, he was joined by Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) on a tour of  the area Vining represents. Wauwatosa produced some of the most dramatic images of flood damage, with most of Hart Park seemingly underwater and overflowing wetlands in the County Grounds natural area. 

Vining said in a statement that “the damage is serious, and the pain across the community is real. Let’s be good neighbors and take care of each other during this difficult time.” 

Anne Tuchelski, a 29-year-old lifelong resident of Milwaukee in the Bay View neighborhood, saw people stepping up to help one another as a summer’s-worth of rain fell in the middle of the night last weekend across Milwaukee. Tuchelski realized something was wrong after her neighborhood’s main intersection was completely flooded. “I’ve never seen it like this,” she told Wisconsin Examiner. “My gutters were just pouring out and just slamming on the pavement…I’ve never seen this before.” 

Tuchelski’s 85-year-old grandmother, who has also lived in Milwaukee for her whole life, had never seen such a storm before either. Tuchelski drove to her grandmother’s house in the middle of the night to check on her. The water was rising dramatically. 

“That was really the kicker, was that it was happening in the middle of the night,” she said. Driving down the darkened, flooded roadways, Tuchelski saw people stranded in their cars. From 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. she used her SUV to offer people rides and to push stalled vehicles out of the water, “helping wherever I could.”

Tuchelski recalled one woman whose car was stranded in floodwater near the freeway. She’d left home to pick up her son, and needed her car to go to work in the morning. Tuchelski tried to get her to understand that her vehicle was flooded, and that the tow truck she’d decided to wait for likely wouldn’t come because of the scale of the disaster. 

“It was just really heartbreaking to see her try to come to terms with the fact that the next day is going to change greatly,” Tuchelski said. She offered her a ride, but the woman refused. “It’s like she wasn’t grasping that nobody can come right now. Everybody’s overwhelmed, everybody’s doing their best, and the car’s gone. And you’re standing in the middle of the intersection at 3 o’clock in the morning. She just couldn’t grasp it, and I ran into multiple people like that who just could not grasp it.”

Another person Tuchelski encountered was in a U-Haul truck attempting to move their things, and seemingly unable to accept that it was all already gone or ruined. “I kept saying to her, ‘You have to leave it,’ and she’s like, ‘My stuff, my stuff,’ and I was like, ‘We can’t. It’s underwater.’ So it was just a repeated thing with people, where they just could not come to terms with leaving their belongings behind for their own survival, and their own well-being.” 

Tuchelski herself lost many family tapes, pictures and dresses in the flood. Tuchelski’s family has lived in Milwaukee for over a century. Her grandmother’s basement is still flooded, and so is Tuchelski’s aunt’s basement. “My grandmother’s home has raised five generations of family,” said Tuckelski. “And just to see things float by and be damaged, it was really heartbreaking … Things that make our family, and have recorded these moments, and have become important to us, just floating by.”

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People arriving at one of Milwaukee's drop-off centers with all manner of debris from the August 2025 floods. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)

A line of cars filled with mattresses, downed tree limbs, chairs, dressers, and rugs could be seen outside a Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) drop-off center on Lincoln Avenue Monday morning. Inside, long dumpsters were being filled with the ruined remains cleared out of roadways and people’s homes after flood waters blanketed swaths of Milwaukee County on Aug. 9 and 10. 

Mayor Cavalier Johnson joined DPW Commissioner Jerrell Kruschke at the dump site to provide updates about the flood response Monday. “Some of these stories that we’re hearing are truly, remarkably sad,” said Johnson, recalling that the first message he received was from his uncle, whose basement was filled with water. From the North Side to the South Side, west towards Wauwatosa and east towards Lake Michigan, the flood quickly engulfed roadways and homes. 

“So my thoughts are with everybody, everybody who is dealing with issues trying to clear out a basement, folks that are enduring power outages, trying to sort out, figure out what to do with the car that has been flooded through,” said Johnson. “We’re working through the process of obtaining some disaster declarations so we can bring the appropriate aid to those citizens who have been affected by the downpour.”

Gov. Tony Evers has activated the Wisconsin National Guard to assist efforts in Milwaukee County. It’s unclear at this time what role, if any, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will have in Milwaukee, as the level of damage needs to meet a certain threshold in order for the agency to be activated. The agency has also been threatened with funding cuts and possible shutdown by the Trump administration. 

Johnson stressed that the weekend storm, which dropped over 10 inches of rain in some areas, was extremely rare. Timmerman Airfield recorded over 14 inches of rainfall. “I think I said the other day that last time something like this happened was about a decade or so ago,” the mayor said. “I certainly hope that a storm like this is not visited upon this city for at least another millennium,” he continued, referring to the weekend storm being called a “thousand year flood.” Kruschke echoed the mayor’s comments about the rarity of the massive flooding over the weekend. Johnson said he’d heard on the news that it dropped essentially “a summer’s-worth of rain” in a single storm. 

Yet research on climate change has long-predicted that Wisconsin would experience increased rain, more intense storms, and greater risks of flooding. In late 2020, a report from UW-Madison and state health workers warned that climate change in Wisconsin would mean more rainfall over fewer days, which would likely cause flooding. The report noted that the weather changes could have a cascade of health effects including heat stroke from increased heat (which also fuels more powerful storms), asthma and insect-borne diseases. In 2021, severe storms downed hundreds of trees in Milwaukee County. The following summer, communities across Wisconsin experienced heat waves, heavy rainfall, high winds and tornadoes over a couple of days, during which time people died from heat stroke, or after being swept away in flood waters during heavy rainfall. By 2022, global CO2 levels exceeded 400 parts per million, a red line which scientists warned would spur even worse effects.

Answering a question from Wisconsin Examiner about the climate trends, Kruschke said that heavy rainfalls have been documented for a long time, and that DPW is relying on historical data. Kruschke said that the city was not prepared for the volume of rain that fell so quickly. As for whether the city can adapt to future weather patterns, Mayor Johnson said, “I’ve been thinking about this since this storm happened.” 

Johnson praised the DPW’s work with the Milwaukee Metro Sewerage District (MMSD) to create infrastructure to capture rainfall when it hits the ground. “So when you look at our construction projects in the city of Milwaukee, when you see bioswales in the street, that’s to make sure that we keep rain out of sewers. That’s to make sure that we keep rain out of people’s basements. When you see MMSD working to make improvements at the parks in order to capture more rainwater there, that’s in order to make sure that we plan for events like this. When folks are going out to install rain barrels in their neighborhood, that’s in order to make sure that we stop things like this. When you have folks out in the city, like they were during this flood event, making sure that the sewer grates are clear so that water is better able to get into the sewers and not in people’s basements, all of these things play a role, and all of these things make a difference.” 

Johnson said the city will continue investing in “green infrastructure” from roadway design to the creation of outdoor classrooms that, in addition to providing experiential learning to K-12 students, also capture rain. “There’s a lot of work that’s going into this,” said Johnson. “I just imagine what this would’ve turned out if we hadn’t done that work over the past number of years. I mean, who knows how many hundreds of thousands or perhaps even millions of gallons of storm water that we were able to capture that didn’t end up in the streets, that didn’t end up in people’s basements.”

The city and county are continuing to assess the full scale of the damage, including how many homes have been affected and people displaced. Monday morning, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office stated in response to an inquiry from  the Wisconsin Examiner that there had been no deaths directly linked to the flooding. However, the Milwaukee Police Department’s Harbor Patrol did find a 49-year-old Native American man, identified as Juan Carlos Sierra Campos, who drowned in Lake Michigan on Sunday morning. An investigation is ongoing. 

Kruschke said the public works department  will continue working normal hours (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.), and operate special trash disposal procedures for people clearing out damaged or ruined property. Fees will be waived for city drop-off centers, with the centers operating free of charge until Aug. 17. Drop-off centers will also be open Mondays, when they would normally be closed. The drop-off centers are located at 3878 W. Lincoln Ave. and 6600 N. Industrial Road. 

A small number of street sweepers are out on the roadways, and some communities  are deploying dump trucks and other vehicles to assist. DPW is also offering special pick-ups for storm-damaged material. Among the items that will not be accepted are  explosive or flammable products, propane tanks, large gas appliances, fluorescent light bulbs, wet or oil-based paint and material or vehicles from contractors or businesses.

Libraries, including the West Allis Library, are offering WiFi and computers for people unable to use their own. Cars that were swept away or abandoned during the floods may have been towed to alternate locations so as to not overwhelm the city’s usual tow yards. The city does not have a count of the number of cars towed or abandoned. Overnight parking enforcement will be suspended Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

Residents are encouraged to avoid wading through flooded areas or standing water. The possibility of contaminated water or hidden debris makes wading unsafe. The Red Cross has also opened two shelters for people who have been displaced by the flooding. The shelters are located at the Washington Park Senior Center (4420 W Vliet St.) and at Holler Park (5151 S. 6th St.). 

People gather near the bridges in the Wauwatosa village to observe the still rushing flooded river and storm damage. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)

Neighborhoods across Milwaukee County are continuing to recover from record-shattering flooding over the weekend. Inundated basements, entire portions of Wauwatosa seemingly underwater, people fleeing the Wisconsin State Fair which shut down early amid rising floodwater and reports of cars literally floating away down roadways all followed the torrential downpour which began Aug. 9. 

The National Weather Service recorded 5.74 inches of rain Saturday, eclipsing the  previous single-day record for Milwaukee of 1.64 inches of rain. Meteorologists say that Saturday was Milwaukee’s second wettest day in 154 years of record keeping. Additional rainfall brought the total up to nearly 7 inches, with some areas expected to get over 10 inches of rain. Researchers have long-warned that increased and more intense rain and flooding would be among the ways climate change would manifest in Wisconsin. 

Casey Serrano, a resident of Milwaukee’s North Side left the home she shares with her boyfriend around 8 p.m. Saturday about an hour after the rain started. When she returned around 1 a.m., she saw water in the basement “coming out of our main sewer drain that was covering maybe a quarter to a third of our basement, maybe an inch deep.” During the night, the water rose to nearly 2 feet of “brown runoff from the street,” she said.

Serrano woke up to find there was no  power in her home. “Our immediate street is not flooded, and did not flood last night,” she told Wisconsin Examiner. “But the streets surrounding us flooded pretty heavily.” When she went out on  Silver Spring Drive to get supplies, she saw “within like a 20-block radius of our house there were cars that had clearly floated down Silver Spring.”  

“Thousands in Milwaukee are facing flooding after last night’s storms,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson wrote on X. “Avoid flooded roads — moving water is dangerous. City crews and first responders are working nonstop. Neighbors are stepping up to help neighbors.” The mayor posted that the city was coordinating with Gov. Tony Evers and Milwaukee County on emergency aid and shelters. “Milwaukee is strong,” Mayor Johnson posted. “Together, we’ll get through this.” 

Across Milwaukee County, emergency responders were overwhelmed as the flooding created a cascade of issues with natural gas, debris and power outages. “Very busy night for [Milwaukee Fire Department] & many other FD’s!”, Milwaukee Fire Department Chief Aaron Lipski posted on X. “Over 600 responses between 8pm-7am: numerous fires, water rescues, & many other weather-related emergencies.” 

 

Video shared with Wisconsin Examiner by Casey Serrano, a City of Milwaukee resident who experienced severe basement flooding after the storms on August 9th and 10th, 2025.

 

Online videos showed  cars trapped on flooded roadways and highways. People attending one of the final days of the Wisconsin State Fair were filmed wading through water to leave the fairgrounds. Around 10 p.m. on Sunday the sky began to light up with a new wave of lightning, heralding more rain. Over 18,000 people reportedly lost power during the storms. 

“Flooding is still an active emergency situation across Milwaukee County, and we are expecting more rain today and into this evening,” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a press statement Sunday. “I strongly urge our residents to stay cautious, stay informed, and refrain from traveling. Check  in on your neighbors and loved ones, especially older adults, and seek out emergency assistance if needed. I am thankful for our first responders, law enforcement partners, social services workers, and neighbors who are lending a helping hand during a challenging time. We will get through this together, Milwaukee.”

Local officials are warning residents not to walk into floodwater, as it may be contaminated or be near downed electrical wires. In some areas, the water had strong currents capable of sweeping people away. Those cleaning up debris are encouraged to wear gloves and proper protection, and residents are encouraged to limit water usage (such as by holding off on washing dishes or doing laundry) to reduce the risk of wastewater backing up into basements. 

The suburban city of Wauwatosa produced some of the most dramatic images of flooding throughout the county. According to the Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD), over 500 calls were received by their dispatch center with issues ranging from flooded out basements to blocked storm drains to traffic incidents due to standing water. WPD says there have been no reports of serious injuries, though several major roadways and intersections remain affected and impassable. 

Hart Park, near the Wauwatosa Village, is closed, and police are encouraging people to avoid the area. Sunday afternoon, many people were seen walking through the village area and parts of Hart Park to observe storm damage. Large debris was strewn along the railroad tracks, and reports indicate that the Menomonee River flowing through Hart Park rose from a little over 1 foot high to over 14 feet in a matter of hours. Sunday afternoon the water level was still high, with rushing water ripping through the park continuing to damage green spaces and concrete bike paths. Wauwatosa squad cars used loudspeakers to declare the area closed due to a state of emergency. 

 

Video posted to social media of the flooding in Wauwatosa by Bobby Pantuso, including drone footage by Pantuso (shared with permission).

 

Traffic control issues were also reported by the Waukesha Police Department, with the Fox River also under close observation. Waukesha Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Capt. Nicholas Wenzel said in an email statement that the department was “dealing with flooding across the county,” and that no injuries or missing persons had been reported.

For Serrano, the flood is an unprecedented experience. She anticipates costly repairs, including ripping out wood paneling in her house. 

Serrano is also concerned about what the flooding means for the city. “I think that my main concern is that the city is completely unprepared to deal with this, and I think it’s really willful on their part to be honest,” she said. Serrano, who used to work  for the city’s sewage department creating and analyzing data maps, thinks city budget and staffing cuts have adversely affected emergency preparedness. She blames Act 10, which has limited public employees’ collective bargaining rights since 2011, arguing that it  has contributed to staffing shortages and out-dated technology for city departments most responsible for preventing floods, and dealing with their aftermath. 

 

 

Act 12, which mandates that staffing and funding are maintained for the Milwaukee Police Department, also exacerbated the imbalance between police and  other departments including  Public Works, she said. 

“At any point, the Common Council could stand up for residents of this city — especially residents of the North Side,” Serrano said,  “and say we’re not going to deal with this anymore. We are going to fully fund these departments so that they have the right materials and the right resources to fully staff themselves, to fully hire.” 

 

 

 

From left, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley will look to run for governor in the 2026 Democratic primary, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez announced her campaign Friday and Attorney General Josh Kaul declined to comment on his plans. (Photos by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Less than 24 hours after Gov. Tony Evers announced he wouldn’t run for another term in office, the field for the Democratic primary for governor is beginning to take shape as Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez launched  her campaign Friday morning while other potential candidates are still considering. 

Evers’ video announcing that he would retire because of his family ended months of speculation about a potential third term and triggered the start of the first open race for governor in Wisconsin since 2010. 

The Republican field is still shaping up, with Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and Whitefish Bay manufacturer Bill Berrien have officially announced. Other potential candidates include U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and businessmen Eric Hovde and Tim Michels, both of whom have recently lost statewide campaigns. 

The first Democrat in the race, Rodriguez in her campaign launch video took aim both at Republicans in Washington and at the GOP majority in the Legislature. 

“We’ve got a maniac in the White House. His tariffs are killing our farmers and his policies are hurting our kids,” Rodriguez said of President Donald Trump. “Our [state] Legislature refuses to expand Medicaid, even though 41 other states have done it. I mean Arkansas expanded Medicaid. Arkansas, but not Wisconsin. I’ll get it done.” 

Rodriguez was elected lieutenant governor in 2022, when Evers won his second term. She succeeded former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate against Republican Sen. Ron Johnson that year. 

“I’ve been an ER nurse, a public health expert and a small business owner. I’m used to being on my feet and getting right to the point,” Rodriguez said in her video. “I have an announcement: I’m running for governor.” 

“I know what you’re thinking, you don’t have the time for the rest of this video,” Rodriguez said. “Look, I get it I’m a busy parent too, so here’s what you should know: I’ve got two kids that are way too embarrassed to be in this video, a dog named Chico and I met my husband salsa dancing – all true. My parents were Wisconsin dairy farmers. My dad served during Vietnam and fixed telephones at Wisconsin Bell. Mom was a union member who helped kids with special needs.”

Rodriguez got degrees in neuroscience and nursing before working as a nurse in an emergency room in Baltimore. She has also worked for the Centers for Disease Control and has served as vice president for several health care-related businesses, including at Advocate Aurora Health from 2017-2020.

Rodriguez said in the video that entering politics wasn’t part of her plan, but seeing “a broken system” she decided to run for the Assembly. She flipped a Republican seat that covered parts of Milwaukee and Waukesha in 2020 by 735 votes, and served for one term before making her run for lieutenant governor in 2021. After winning the Democratic primary, she joined Evers on the ticket. 

The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association quickly endorsed Rodriguez Friday.

Rodriguez noted that control of the state Legislature is also at stake in 2026, with Democrats having the chance under new, fairer maps adopted in 2024 to win control. The last time there was a Democratic trifecta in Wisconsin was in the 2009-2010 session. 

“Look, we’ve got a real shot at flipping the state Legislature, and with a Democratic governor we can finally expand Medicaid and boost our health care workforce. We can strengthen our farms and unions and small businesses, fund our public schools and give teachers the raise they’ve earned. That’s the right path, and it’s what you and your family deserve,” Rodriguez said. “I can’t wait to earn your vote.”

Other Democrats on whether they’ll run

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a statement Friday morning that he cares about the future direction of Wisconsin and that “I will be taking steps toward entering the race for Governor,” in the coming weeks. 

“The stakes are simply too high to sit on the sidelines,” Crowley said. “Governor Evers has laid a strong foundation. I believe it’s our responsibility to build on that progress — and I look forward to engaging in that conversation with the people of Wisconsin.” 

Crowley, 33, was elected to the county’s top office in 2020, the first African American and the youngest person to serve in the position. During his time in the job, Crowley has been a staunch  advocate for the state’s largest county, including helping secure a sales tax increase for Milwaukee. He also previously served for two terms in the state Assembly.

Asked whether she plans to run, state Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) told the Wisconsin Examiner Friday she is “giving it really serious consideration.” Roys came in third in the 2018 primary that nominated Evers.

“This is going to be a wide open primary,” Roys said. “I don’t think anybody has a strong advantage in it, and I think the stakes are incredibly high.” 

Roys said she thought Evers has “given more than anyone could ask to this state” and has earned the right to do whatever he wants. She said, however, that Democrats shouldn’t rely on old tactics in 2026 and that people want a candidate who will inspire them.

“Tony Evers has been a beloved governor of this state, and so I think he would have certainly been able to win a third term if that’s what he wanted to do,” Roys said. “At the same time, I think that there is a real hunger in the party and in the country generally, to see the next generation of leaders getting a chance, and we have a very strong bench in Wisconsin.”

Roys also ran for the U.S. House in 2012, losing in the primary for the 2nd District to U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan. 

Roys said that there is a lot at stake in the 2026 race. The country is at an “incredibly dangerous moment” with the Republican control in Washington, D.C., she said, and Wisconsin Democrats could have a “incredible opportunity” to deliver on an array of issues at the state level, including funding public education, supporting Wisconsin’s public universities and technical colleges, expanding access to health care, addressing the high cost of housing and child care, and protecting peoples’ rights and freedoms. 

For the last five years, Roys has served in the state Senate, including as a member of the Joint Finance Committee, and has been a strong advocate for funding child care and reproductive rights. 

Recalling her time in the Assembly from 2009-2013, including the last session when Democrats held a trifecta, Roys said Democrats didn’t accomplish enough.

“I’m determined to make sure that we do not blow this opportunity,” Roys said. “I think we need strong leadership from our next Democratic governor to make sure that we deliver for people in this state.” 

Roys said she is considering many factors in deciding whether to join the race, including whether she would be the right person for the position, her recent experience and her family, including their security.

Whether she runs or not, Roys said she will work across the state to help Democrats flip both houses. She isn’t up for reelection this year and Democrats have set a goal of winning control of the Senate and Assembly for the first time in over 15 years. 

“My hope is that all the candidates who are considering a run for governor are prioritizing flipping the Legislature,” Roys said. During Evers’ two terms with a Republican majority in both houses, “He wrote great budgets. They threw them in the garbage,” she said. “He wanted to pass a lot of great legislation that Democrats offered in the Legislature, and he could hardly sign many into law, because he was busy with that veto pen.” 

Attorney General Josh Kaul, who would likely be a top candidate if he runs, declined to tell reporters about his plans Friday, saying that it is important to reflect on Evers’ service and “the significance of where we’ve come in the last six and a half years.” 

“I don’t have any announcement today,” Kaul said. “I think in the next several weeks, you’ll hear from a number of people as to where they stand.” 

Kaul was first elected to the statewide position in 2018 and won a second term in 2022 in a close race against Eric Toney, a Republican prosecutor from Fond du Lac County. Since Trump took office for his second term, Kaul has joined several multistate lawsuits to push back on some of the federal government’s actions, including the withholding of funding

Other potential candidates include Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

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As the Milwaukee Police Department moves to expand its use of facial recognition technology, a June report from the federal government finds this technology continues to disproportionately misidentify people of color. 

Elected officials and civil rights groups have been raising this concern as a clear reason why MPD’s plan should be paused or rejected entirely.  

MPD says there are ways to address this limitation. 

The Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission on Wednesday, June 18, will hold a public meeting to assess potential discrimination-related risks. 

The report

In 2019, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology released a major report evaluating how demographics affect outcomes in facial recognition systems. 

The report found skin color and ethnicity often had an effect. 

With domestic law enforcement images, for example, the system most often led to false positives – when someone is incorrectly identified – for American Indians. Rates were also elevated for African American and Asian populations. 

On June 2, the agency issued a report showing that facial recognition systems were more likely to mistake people from predominantly darker-skinned regions for someone else. This included people from sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and the Caribbean, compared with people from Europe and Central Asia. 

Higher rates of misidentifications for people of color raise concerns that facial recognition could lead to more wrongful stops and arrests by police.  

MPD’s plan

MPD Chief of Staff Heather Hough, speaking during an April meeting of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, said the department has used facial recognition technology in the past in coordination with other police departments. 

She stressed its crime-fighting benefits. 

“Facial recognition technology is a valuable tool in solving crimes and increasing public safety,” Hough said. 

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson supports the use of this technology for the same reason, Jeff Fleming, spokesperson for the mayor’s office, wrote in an email.

“Identifying, apprehending and bringing to justice criminals in our city does reduce crime,” Fleming wrote. 

During the commission meeting, Paul Lau, who oversees MPD’s criminal investigations bureau, said the department is considering an official agreement with a company called Biometrica. 

“We anticipate this usually being used by our detective bureau in the investigation of major violent felonies,” Lau said.   

Community response

Emilio De Torre, executive director of Milwaukee Turners, cited some of the 2019 federal findings in an op-ed, arguing that “entrusting facial recognition to routine policing is not public safety; it is an avoidable risk that history shows will fall hardest on Black Milwaukeeans.” 

Milwaukee Turners is one of 19 organizations that sent a letter to the Milwaukee Common Council expressing concerns about surveillance technology. The letter urges the council to adopt an ordinance ensuring community participation in deciding if and how it is used.

Some members of the Common Council have come out in strong opposition to MPD’s plan as well. 

“It’s both embarrassing and dangerous for false positives to occur at such a high rate,” Alderman José G. Pérez, Common Council president, told NNS. 

Such flaws would likely lead to due process violations, he said. 

Addressing flaws

Hough said MPD knows there are people in the community who are “very leery” of police using this technology, adding that their “concerns about civil liberties are important.” 

“I want to make it very clear: Facial recognition on its own is never enough. It requires human analysis and additional investigation.”

MPD is committed to a “thoughtful, intentional and mindful” policy that considers community input, Hough said. 

Lau said MPD will look into racial bias training provided by Biometrica, and people using the technology will need to have training on best practices. 

Biometrica directly addresses concerns about racial disparities on its website.  

The company says errors identified in 2019 stemmed from several flaws that can be countered with, for example, anti-bias training for analysts who review facial recognition alerts.  

Who gets to decide?

Since Wisconsin Act 12, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman is free to develop any official policy he chooses. The Common Council has the only formal check that exists.

By a two-thirds vote – or 10 of Milwaukee’s 15 aldermen – the council can block or modify MPD policies. But it must wait for a policy to be officially implemented. 

The state Legislature could pass a statewide ban or restrictions, and the Common Council could adopt an ordinance regulating or banning its use.

Alderman Alex Brower told NNS he will be doing everything in his power, as a member of the Common Council, to oppose MPD’s acquisition of facial recognition technology. 

What residents can do

People will have an opportunity to share their opinions about MPD’s plan – for and against – at an upcoming meeting of the Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission.

Commission members will use testimony about facial recognition to help determine the discrimination-related risks it may pose, said Tony Snell, chair of the commission.

“We want to listen to as many people as possible,” Snell said. 

The commission can make recommendations to the Common Council, the mayor, MPD and the Fire and Police Commission. 

The commission meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 18, at Milwaukee City Hall, 200 E. Wells St.

People may attend in person or virtually. 

Those who wish to speak must register by emailing ERC@milwaukee.gov. Each speaker will have up to three minutes. People can also send written testimony to this email address so it can be included in the public record. 

Milwaukee police push for more facial recognition technology as federal report shows persistent bias is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.