Published 

MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Police Department is investigating staffing shortages downtown. FOX6 News uncovered that only a few officers were working downtown one night this week.

Whistleblower shares documents

The backstory:

There has been recent violence downtown, including two shootings around Water Street. On Monday, MPD Chief Jeffrey Norman told FOX6 he'd be adding more patrols in the area. Now, we're learning the department is investigating itself.

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Milwaukee Police District 1 covers the busy downtown area. But a whistleblower sent FOX6 scheduling documents – what's called the "lineup" – that show only three officers were scheduled overnight from Sunday to Monday.

FOX6 then pressed MPD about it. In a statement, MPD said:

"The Milwaukee Police Department is alarmed by this lineup and at the highest levels are investigating staffing failures in District 1. This lineup is contrary to staffing level directives and expectations provided to the districts. MPD wants to assure the public that the current dispatch system provides cross district responses for all calls for service city-wide, and additional resources are always available to districts when necessary."

Before FOX6 reported the documents, Norman on Monday told FOX6 he'd be adding more patrols downtown after a violent weekend on Water Street:

• FOX6's Aaron Maybin: "Should people be going to downtown Milwaukee? Should they be going to Water Street on Friday night, on Saturday night right now?
• Norman: "Absolutely. Our downtown is still a safe place…There’s no lack of effort on our part. We will continue to lean in. We will continue to put more resources there."
• Maybin: "What does that look like? What can people expect?"
• Norman: "You’ll see more officers in the area."

Officers' pay

Dig deeper:

This comes as the city is in a fight with the Milwaukee Police Association over pay.

"It's a wild, wild west out there, as you saw this weekend on Water Street," said Alex Ayala, the union's president. 

The Milwaukee Police Association's contract ran out in 2022. The union said it is leading to officers leaving for other departments.

"Everybody's getting a raise. Why can't my officers get a raise?" Ayala said. "Why are they not worthy enough to get a raise? And we're the ones getting shot and killed in the line of duty."

A spokesperson for Mayor Cavalier Johnson said the city is trying to resolve the contract dispute. In September, it will head to arbitration.

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By the numbers:

Right now, Milwaukee advertises officer pay of $63,534 up to 84,743. That's about the same range as Brown Deer and Thiensville.

Top pay in West Allis is $10,000 more than in Milwaukee. In Menomonee Falls, Shorewood, Waukesha and Whitefish Bay, starting pay is $5,000 to $13,000 more than in Milwaukee.

• Kenosha: $71,436 to $91,356
• Menomonee Falls: $77,521.60-$93,641.60
• Shorewood: $73,077.00-$92,720.00
• Waukesha: $71,494.02-$88,530.00
• Whitefish Bay: $69,095.82-$94,268.58

The Source: FOX6 News obtained documents through a whistleblower, conducted interviews, reached out for statements and gathered information on officers' pay for this story. Some information is from prior coverage.