Omar Flores, a member of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, confronts Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball about deaths at the Milwaukee County Jail. Activists point to deaths such as these to suggest that the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office needs stronger oversight. (NNS file photo by Devin Blake)
By Devin Blake
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball is launching a new advisory board aimed at lifting up residents’ concerns about the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office.
While Ball promotes the idea as a step toward greater community engagement, some activists, elected officials and residents are questioning whether the board will offer any meaningful oversight.
Who can apply?
In total, the sheriff’s Community Advisory Board will have 15 members – nine individuals selected by Ball from a pool of applicants and six individuals appointed by Ball.
Some goals of the board will be to inform the sheriff about community concerns, communicate feedback from the community about various initiatives and offer recommendations to the sheriff’s office.
Some basic requirements for applicants include being a resident of Milwaukee County, at least 21 years of age and not be, or have an immediate family member, be employed by the sheriff’s office.
Other criteria Ball will use to vet applicants, according to a spokesperson, include: diverse backgrounds; strong community involvement; relevant experience addressing community concerns; and the ability to share “blind spots” with law enforcement.
Applicants will also be interviewed.
If selected, members will serve a term of two years but can be removed at any time by the sheriff. They will be expected to attend monthly meetings.
Activists express skepticism
During a March 24 town hall held by Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Justin Bielinski, some community members expressed concerns about the board.
It’s not more community engagement the sheriff’s office needs, people argued, it’s community oversight.
Casey Serrano, a member of Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, said that an advisory board that consists of members selected and appointed by the sheriff could never meaningfully change anything about the sheriff’s office.
“They would have no budget control. They would have no hiring or firing control, no policy control,” she said. “It would just be people she’s hand-selected to tell her she’s doing a good job.”
Serrano pointed to the deaths at the jail as a prime example of the sheriff’s office not doing its job, and something that an oversight board with real authority would improve.
From June 2022 to August 2023, six individuals died while in custody at the Milwaukee County Jail.
On March 18, a 48-year-old man named Joseph Boivin died after being discovered in the jail having a health crisis, according to the sheriff’s office, as reported by Urban Milwaukee.
“I think it’s really worth it,” said Serrano, “to think about what a real solution is that actually stops this inhumanity.”
She is not alone in this thinking.
“What I’m hearing from the community every meeting I’ve been to, whether it’s a committee hearing, whether it’s a town hall, whether it’s just out and about, they would like to see some sort of independent oversight,” Bielinski said during the event.
“I would like to try to provide that.”
Ball thinks that the advisory board will be able to provide meaningful oversight because the members she appoints will be “known community activists that publicly vocalize community concerns” about the sheriff’s office, according to her spokesperson.
What is a sheriff?
Unlike other county-level departments, the sheriff is not under the control of the county executive or board. She answers to voters.
The sheriff has independent, constitutionally established authority—including over the county jail. This means the sheriff’s core duties and responsibilities, such as managing the jail, generally cannot be changed without a change in state law.
Pursuing civilian oversight of an elected official like a sheriff is complicated.
Bielinski told NNS that he is awaiting a report from the county’s legal department about whether the board has some sort of legal authority to create an oversight board primarily made up of civilians.
“My red line is there cannot be a majority of people who are current or former law enforcement officers. It would be fine to have representation from that community, but I just don’t think it can be controlled by a majority of people with that background,” Bielinski said, adding that he’s interested in seeing oversight from people with backgrounds in social work and mental health.
Bielinski hopes to hear about the possibility of such a board by mid-April.
“When it comes to something that’s literally life and death … I just think the best model is to have independent oversight of that,” he said.
How to apply
The application for the advisory board can be filled out online.
https://county.milwaukee.gov/EN/Sheriff/Community-Advisory-Board
The deadline to apply is April 14.
Questions can be directed to sheriff@milwaukeecountywi.gov.