(The Center Square) – There are more people talking about possibly bringing the National Guard to Milwaukee.
The city’s police officers’ union boss said he’s thinking about asking President Donald Trump to send troops to the city to “help.”
“I’m sure the National Guard would do a great job in helping us out,” Milwaukee Police Association President Alex Ayala said.
Ayala told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he’s considering sending a letter to Trump.
“My opinion is, let’s try something new. Let’s see if maybe the National Guard – that can maybe help Milwaukee curb some of this crime and some of the street takeovers and the church staffing and all the issues we’ve had downtown,” Ayala told the paper.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson continues to say he doesn’t want troops in the city and they are not needed.
Republican candidate for governor Bill Berrien, however, said Milwaukee certainly needs help getting its crime problem under control.
“Milwaukee is one of 10 cities with the highest crime rates in the country. I’m with the Milwaukee Police union, President Trump is onto something with his crime crackdown, we need safety on our streets in Milwaukee,” Berrien wrote on social media Wednesday. “As governor, I will not only crack down on crime by supporting our law enforcement, but I will work with President Trump to take drastic action when needed.”
Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday said the National Guard were the “wrong people” to help police in Milwaukee.
“They’re not trained police officers, simple as that,” Evers told reporters. “We can handle this ourselves in the state of Wisconsin.”
Over the weekend, Republican Congressman Scott Fitzgerald, said something similar.
“We’ve actually got some good numbers out of Milwaukee over the last couple of years about crime that’s leveled off or been reduced. I’m not sure it’s something that the White House would really consider when you look at the long list of other communities that have issues as a result of crime,” Fitzgerald said during an appearance on UpFront.
