Office of Violence Prevention
Wisconsin’s governor is moving ahead with a new Office of Violence Prevention that Republicans at the Capitol are already pushing back against.
Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday announced the new office, “These investments will support efforts like supporting multi-agency law enforcement investigations, and using crime gun intelligence tools.
Implementing suicide prevention education and threat assessment programs,” Evers explained. “As well as technical assistance grants and grants to help with designing, implementing, and staffing effective evidence-based community policing and crime reduction initiatives. And mentoring programs for youth school-based suicide prevention and firearm safety.”
The governor said he is directing $10 million to begin work right away. Evers also said he plans to ask for millions more in the new state budget.
Legislative Republicans, however, are already questioning the need for a new Office of Violence Prevention, and the governor's plans for it.
“Let me get this straight, Milwaukee’s Office of Violence Prevention was so ineffective at preventing violence that they fired the director and renamed the office. Now, Governor Evers wants to replicate that failure at the state level?” Wanggaard asked on Twitter. “This isn’t hard. You don’t need to grow government to prevent violence. If Gov. Evers is serious about ending violence and crime, he should support law enforcement and give them the tools and resources they need."
Evers told reporters and supporters Tuesday morning that he expects Republican opposition.
“Unfortunately every time I've introduced common sense proposals like universal background checks and red flag laws, Republicans have rejected my efforts. Including a special session call. Despite the fact that these policies have widespread public support,” the governor added. “In 2025 that just cannot continue to be the case.”
Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol are already pledging their support.
Assembly Democratic chief Greta Neubauer said she’s ready to make the new office one of her top priorities.
“We should be doing everything in our power to keep our communities safe. It’s far past time we take action on common sense policies to build a safer Wisconsin, and today’s executive order creating the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention will help us move forward with preventing gun violence across our state.”
Democrats in Madison, however, do not have the votes to push the new office through.
And Senate Republican leader Devin LeMahieu over the weekend promised to eliminate any policy suggestions from the governor's new budget. That’s likely to include the new Office of Violence Prevention.
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