Police say traffic safety unit remains active despite staffing cuts; committee asks for ongoing updates

The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) told the Public Safety & Health Committee that the Traffic Safety Unit (TSU) remains an active enforcement resource but has fewer officers than at its peak and that districts continue to make traffic enforcement stops.

Chief of Staff Heather Hoff and Inspector David Feldmeier briefed the committee. Hoff said the TSU issued the majority of speeding citations during recent years: "In 2024, TSU alone issued 4,063 traffic citations, and all other work locations issued 2,871 traffic citations." She also said the unit's dedicated staffing has fallen; "As of this week, that number is 9," Hoff said.

Committee members pressed the department on whether districts rely on TSU and whether the unit could be redeployed or expanded for evening or event coverage when reckless driving spikes. Inspector Feldmeier and Hoff said patrol districts still make traffic stops when they see violations and that MPD seeks to balance staffing across schools, patrol and specialized units. The department said it had 38 candidates who had applied for TSU but noted constraints on reassigning officers, including school resource allocations and academy class sizes.

Committee members asked the department to improve public messaging about TSU deployments and to provide aldermen with occasional briefings after TSU operations in their districts. Alder Taylor moved to hold the topic to the call of the chair for future updates; the committee agreed to revisit the issue periodically.