Federal Government Could Help Milwaukee With Its Recent Violence, Says Barrett

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says it looks like the federal government may be of some additional help in fighting the violence plaguing Milwaukee and some other U.S. cities.

Barrett and Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn traveled to Washington, D.C. this week to join officials from nearly 20 other cities for meetings with President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder.

Barrett says the word he got is to not expect a lot of new federal spending to fight crime. But he says there were promises for the federal and local governments to work more closely together.

“Part of the conversation revolved around the fact that [for] many citizens, when the federal law enforcement tools being are being utilized, they carry greater weight,” says Barrett, citing federal gun prosecutions as an example.

Some Milwaukee aldermen are criticizing Barrett for not doing more to counter the recent spike in violence. But Barrett says Milwaukee police have made 2,000 arrests in the last month and taken 550 illegal guns off the street.

Barrett says it may be the worst period of violence in the city since he became mayor in 2004.