Latest news with #MilwaukeeCityHall
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Milwaukee City Hall lockdown; leaders drill into communication chaos
The Brief Milwaukee City Hall and the Zeidler Municipal Building went on lockdown last week. It turned out to be a false alarm, but a number of communication issues unfolded. City leaders and employees drilled into that communication chaos on Thursday. MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee City Hall and the Zeidler Municipal Building went on lockdown last week. Now, city leaders are working to make sure the communication issues that unfolded in the process don't happen again. The backstory A city employee was in the process of getting fired on May 15. When that person left, police said the slamming of a door sounded like gunshots. It turned out to be a false alarm. MPD said there were no signs of gunshots, and the department is still investigating what happened. What they're saying Common Council members called Department of Public Works Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke and the city's emergency management director before the Public Health and Safety Committee on Thursday. "The announcement did not go off. The speakers were not working at that time," said Kruschke. Public Works Commissioner Jerrel Kruschke said the speakers were not working throughout the entire building. They have since been fixed. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android "We didn't know anything," said Common Council President José Pérez. For more than an hour, city leaders and employees drilled into the chaos surrounding the false alarm that locked down city hall. "What would have been the appropriate things that should have happened?" said Ald. Sharlen Moore. "We do have these floor evacuation team leaders, and I think sometimes it's hard to differentiate between that when there's an emergency, that they have actual commitment and responsibility to engage and to provide some sort of safety response," said Ryan Zollicoffer, the city's emergency management director. The initial call for a possible active shooter came just after 3:03 p.m. on May 15. A distress button was pressed on the fourth floor of the Zeidler Municipal Building at 3:06 p.m. The public address system announcement did not come until 3:30 p.m. "Is 20 minutes adequate time?" asked Ald. Peter Burgelis. "We don't need to put false information out there, I think that's where the delay happened," Kruschke said. "Was it too long? Yes." "Three officers on site in seconds. Nowhere else in any facilities I've been to where you'll have that rapid response," said Zollicoffer. "I don't want to gloss over how well our public safety team did." There were no text alerts, and an email didn't reach elected officials. Some said they only learned something was wrong when running into the mayor's security detail. Dig deeper FOX6 News asked Pérez if the city has a comprehensive plan in place and whether it is being correctly executed. "I don't believe so at all. You heard, we thought, some people thought there was a text messaging system in place. It's not in place," he said. What's next Pérez said he wants a concrete plan and employee training, so a situation like that does not happen again. "If a plan is going to collect dust and no one's gonna execute, how we understand it and do it, it makes no sense," he said. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News Pérez intends on setting up a work group, including the clerk's office, to ensure everyone who should be getting important messages does. Also on Thursday, the city's emergency management and public works departments met with police, fire and other departments to go over the city's response. The Source Information in this report is from FOX6 News interviews, Thursday's Public Health and Safety Committee meeting and the Milwaukee Police Department.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Milwaukee City Hall, Zeidler Building lockdown communication issues
The Brief Milwaukee City Hall and the Zeidler building were placed on lockdown Thursday. Some workers told FOX6 they didn't know they were supposed to shelter in place. It turned out to be a false alarm, but the scare was enough to spark calls for change. MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee City Hall and the Zeidler Municipal Building were placed on lockdown Thursday, but some workers said they didn't even know they were supposed to shelter in place. The backstory Milwaukee police rushed to the Zeidler Municipal Building on Thursday. Police searched the building after several people heard what they thought were gunshots. It turned out it was a false alarm. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android Milwaukee police said there was no sign of gunshots, and the department is still investigating what happened. In 1992, it wasn't a false alarm. A plaque now remembers Camille Bailey, a city worker who was shot and killed inside the building. What they're saying Emergency alerts, alarms and announcements are there to keep you safe when there's a real emergency, but there was a communication issue on Thursday. City workers in the Zeidler building told FOX6 News they didn't hear public announcements to shelter in place and instead found out by word of mouth. "I think some of my staff was freaking out a little bit," said Brad Houston, who works in the basement of the Zeidler building. Across the street at city hall, Ald. Robert Bauman said the emergency alerts didn't come for roughly 20 minutes. City workers also didn't get emergency text messages. While they are able to get them, the city didn't send them. What's next The scare was powerful enough to spark calls for change. There are three public entrances for Milwaukee City Hall and an underground path through the Zeidler building. None have metal detectors to get inside. "One hundred percent there should be metal detectors," said Ald. Lamont Westmoreland. "I want to talk about securing this building, because it's not secure. And maybe I'm on the island by myself. And frankly, I don't care if I'm on the island by myself in regards to this." FOX6 News asked Common Council President José Pérez if it is time for metal detectors inside city hall. He said: "I wouldn't say that yet." Bauman also said no to the idea. "I relish the open environment we have at city hall," he said. "When I go to other buildings, like the county courthouse, and I understand they are a different kind of situation, with the criminal courts, but I find that whole setup extremely intimidating, and I avoid that building like the plague." SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News Mayor Cavalier Johnson wasn't ready to commit one way or the other. "It's an opportunity for us to listen, to learn, and leave the door open for what possibly could happen in the future," he said. "We had metal detectors during the RNC, so we're sensitive to what the changes need to be here, if any at all." The Source Information in this report is from the Milwaukee Police Department and FOX6 News interviews.
