Milwaukee City Wire

Republicans in Wisconsin have criticized District Attorney John Chisolm’s policies and productivity during his tenure in office, and one gubernatorial candidate has vowed to fire Chisolm if she is elected.

Republicans like Rebecca Kleefisch and Kevin Nicholson have been critical of Chisolm’s record, and have vowed to do something about it if elected, Wisconsin Right Now reported.

“District Attorneys like John Chisholm – who refuse to keep us safe – need to be removed,” Nicholson said in the story. “As governor, I will also work with municipalities and urge them to rebuild understaffed police departments.”

Kleefisch went further, promising that she would fire Chisolm if elected. She also promised to put 1,000 new police officers on the street, take away judicial and prosecutors’ discretion on bail and “surge” Wisconsin State Patrol into areas with crime increases, among other changes. 

Nicholson, her rival for the Republican nomination, discredited her plans.

“To be clear, ‘surging’ our roughly 500 state patrol officers into high-crime neighborhoods is not a realistic solution to anything,” he said, according to the Wisconsin Right Now story. “There’s not enough of them and it’s not their job. We need serious answers to serious problems.”

According to FBI crime statistics, in 2006, there were 103 homicides in Milwaukee. By 2021, there were 141. By contrast, according to the same FBI numbers, from 2006-2019, the United States as a whole saw a 5% decrease in homicides by year.

In addition, FBI statistics illustrated that since Chisholm took office, Milwaukee has seen significant increases in rapes and aggravated assaults (3,875 to 5,080, a 31% rise), and increases in 3 of the 4 major categories of violent crime, despite the fact that 3 of the 4 decreased nationwide. In 2006, there were 112 rapes in Milwaukee. By 2020, there were 352, a 214% increase, according to the FBI stats. From 2006-2019, the United States as a whole saw a 4% increase in annual rapes and 6% in aggravated assaults.

Robberies have decreased during his tenure, the figures showed.

In November 2021, Darrell Brooks Jr. allegedly drove his car through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, killing six and injuring more. A story by NBC News reported that Chisholm's office was criticized in the aftermath, and the story earned nationwide attention because Brooks had been released from jail on $1,000 bond just two days prior to the attack. 

Chisolm was criticized by the Washington Times, which pointed out that Chisholm was one of several district attorneys across the country whose campaigns had been heavily funded by political financier George Soros. The Times stated that the group of DAs was pursuing "so-called 'criminal justice reforms,'" many of which often result in non-prosecution, decriminalization and reducing or eliminating bail.      

Chisolm, a Democrat, first won the district attorney’s seat in 2007, according to Ballotpedia. He was re-elected to his latest term in 2020, which won’t expire until 2025.

According to U.S. Census data, the population of Milwaukee has declined by about 1% despite the fact that crime has largely risen.

“Law enforcement must be backed,” Kleefisch said in the article. “We must stand with the brave men and women who stand on the thin blue line and protect our families, but unfortunately today in Wisconsin they are under assault, not only by violent criminals but the dangerous rhetoric and lack of attention on the left.”