Milwaukee police officers will get an extra $500,000 to work overtime, after a rash of shootings killed or injured 18 people in the city since last Friday. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports four people were shot in Milwaukee in two hours Tuesday afternoon. In announcing the emergency funds on Wednesday, Mayor Tom Barrett asked the state to match it.
Barrett said he wants Governor Scott Walker to call a special legislative session to act on a proposal that the mayor and Police Chief Ed Flynn announced on Wednesday. They want mandatory prison sentences of at least three years for those convicted of illegally possessing firearms. Senate Republican Alberta Darling of River Hills said she’s drafting such a bill.
Mayor Barrett said he also wants to prevent criminals from getting concealed weapon permits, if they’re convicted of at least three misdemeanors within a period of five years. Walker has said he’s open to prison sentences for illegal gun possession, but he has not said if he’ll call a special session. The legislature was already scheduled to return next month.