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Aug. 31: Body Cameras To Be In 2021 Budget For Kenosha Sheriff’s Department, County Executive Says

Scott Olson
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Getty Images
People march in support of Jacob Blake and his family to the Kenosha County Courthouse on Sunday in Kenosha, Wis. Blake was shot seven times in the back in front of his three children by a police officer in Kenosha.

Anger over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, on Aug. 23 continues to spill into the streets of Kenosha, Wis. On Aug. 25, an Illinois teenager allegedly shot and killed two protesters and severely injured another. The city has become the nation's latest flashpoint during a summer of unrest and calls for racial justice.

>>Find all of WUWM's Kenosha protest coverage here.

Find previous days' coverage here:

>>Friday, Aug. 28
>> Thursday, Aug. 27

>> Wednesday, Aug. 26
>> Tuesday, Aug. 25
>> Monday, Aug. 24
>> Sunday, Aug. 23

WUWM is providing updates as events unfold and information on the incident is released.

2:34 p.m.: Body Cameras To Be In 2021 Budget For Kenosha Sheriff’s Department, County Executive Says

During a press conference of city and county leaders in Kenosha, County Executive Jim Kreuser says body cameras for the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department will be included in the 2021 budget he presents to the board of supervisors in October. Law enforcement agencies in Kenosha have approved body cameras, but both the sheriff’s department and the Kenosha Police Department have yet to purchase any.

Kreuser says he will also be working with businesses to make sure they receive full insurance payments for damages that occurred during protests.

Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth says over the weekend, he watched video of the Jacob Blake shooting and that he will not give his thoughts on the video. He says no video gives a complete story.

“You’re not seeing the entire thing. A lot of people, in all different parts of this situation, are giving their opinion, but they don’t know all the facts. I don’t want to do that,” Beth says.

He says over 200 people have been arrested since the protests began on Aug. 24 and that over half of those people are from outside Kenosha County. He also says his office has been investigating outside threats to homes, businesses, and law enforcement agents that have been made on social media.

Wisconsin Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp says the National Guard troops from Alabama, Arizona, and Michigan began arriving Friday and have begun operating in Kenosha. As of Monday, he says there are over 1,000 Wisconsin troops and over 500 out of state troops in Kenosha. Those numbers will hold until Evers makes a decision to reduce the troop numbers.

- Jack Hurbanis

12:42 p.m.: Wisconsin Republicans Take No Action On Policing Bills

The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature took no action in a special session Monday called by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to pass a package of bills on policing policies just over a week after a Kenosha police officer shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back.

Republicans started the session and recessed in both the Senate and Assembly in less than 30 seconds. That satisfied requirements of the law that they meet, even though almost no lawmakers were present. It's a tactic Republicans used in November when Evers tried to force them to take action on gun control bills.

Republicans kept the session open rather than adjourning it, which means they could take action at a later date, although there are no signs they plan to do anything soon.

“Their silence on this issue, their inaction on this issue, sides with white supremacists,” said Democratic state Rep. David Bowen, a member of the Legislative Black Caucus, at a news conference Monday urging Republicans to pass the bills.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, on the same day Evers called the special session, said he intends to convene a task force on “racial disparities, educational opportunities, public safety, and police policies and standards.” Vos on Monday decried the special session as “divisive and partisan politics” and instead said the task force, to be chaired by a Republican who is white, was “an opportunity to bring people together to find solutions.”

Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, who is running for Congress, said that combined with GOP bills related to policing, “there will be dozens of proposals that the Legislature will work through in the coming months.” Last week, Republican state Sen. Van Wanggaard, a retired police officer and one of Evers’ loudest critics, proposed that state aid be cut to any community that reduces police budgets.

Evers decried the inaction, saying the people of Wisconsin don't want another task force or more delays.

“It’s disappointing that there’s no sense of urgency from Republicans, and it’s a let down to all the people who are asking us to lead,” Evers said.

- Associated Press

10:31 a.m.: Most Arrested During Kenosha Protests Not From The City, Police Say

Kenosha police said Sunday that they had arrested 175 people since protests began in the city. Of those, 102 were from outside Kenosha, including 44 different cities. Many arrests were for curfew violations, and included possible charges for burglary, possession of illegal drugs and carrying concealed weapons without a permit, officials said. More than 20 firearms had been seized.

- Associated Press

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