Proposed Milwaukee Budget Would Shave 60 Sworn from Department

Under the 2020 budget proposed by Mayor Tom Barrett, the Milwaukee (WI) Police Department would go from 1,864 to 1,804 sworn officers.

According to the Journal-Sentinel , Barrett told the Milwaukee Common Council as he presented his proposed $1.6 billion budget Tuesday morning that the cut in number would take place through retirement attrition, not all-out layoffs.

Barrett said that the budget must account for an anticipated increase in pension contribution coupled with state-imposed limits on methods for raising revenue, rising costs of providing services and flat shared revenue payments from the state.

"The reduction is fiscal, it's not philosophical," he said.