Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm says his office faces an unprecedented backlog of 160 homicide cases waiting to be tried.
There are many factors, but the big ones have been COVID-19 restrictions at the county courthouse and a surge in gun violence over the last two years.
Milwaukee has seen 57 murders in 2021 – that’s 41 more than at this time in 2019. Chisholm says the number of cases his office is handling is about three times the normal amount.
A team has been established to respond to Milwaukee’s surge in homicides as a public safety crisis – focusing on addiction, unemployment, and mental health.
