Previously, because of opposing views on immigration and other issues, when David Clarke was Sheriff, there was a rift between his department and the Milwaukee Police Department.
Now, as Earnell Lucas is preparing to become the next Milwaukee Sheriff, he has been concentrating on bridging the gap between the two departments, working with new Chief Alfonso Morales to bring back trust within the community and working to create a safer environment.
When it comes to the trust in the community, the Mexican Consulate, in a meeting at the South Side City Hall, detailed that people who are victims of domestic violence or petty crimes or theft, often don’t contact police because of the fear that their immigration status may be questioned.
“We are here to enforce the laws. However, we want to gain the public trust, we want the public to know that when they are victims of crimes, witnesses of crimes, that they should not fear the police,” says Morales.
Chief Morales and the Mexican consulate sat down together to talk with people of the South Side community, and Milwaukee as a whole. Many Hispanic and Mexican community members showed up for the meeting. For the reason of connecting with the Hispanic community, the conversation was conducted in Spanish.
Neither Morales nor Lucas are planning to cooperate with ICE. As Morales states, “I can’t tell my law enforcement to act on or not to act on immigration laws.” Under the new policy and immigration being taken care of on a federal level, Morales isn’t the one to tell his people to act or not to act on immigration.
While Lucas has been long against ICE. “From the start of my campaign, “ Lucas says, “I’ve stated that I was not going to collaborate with ICE when it relates to detaining individuals.”
However, this does not prevent the ICE task force from sending agents into the community when given a tip. Once ICE thinks they found an illegal person, they will travel to wherever they are in order to detain them.
This is why the Milwaukee Sheriff Department is actively collaborating with the Milwaukee Police Department on measures to protect individuals within the community.
“I plan to serve with honor and integrity,” says Lucas. “There is a lot of work to do here in Milwaukee; we have a number a problems, but we are committed to make change.”