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DOJ Shifts Priorities for Milwaukee Police Away From Reform

A federal review of the Milwaukee Police Department has been halted with the retooling of a program once focused on improving trust between police and communities.

A federal review of the Milwaukee Police Department has been halted with the retooling of a program once focused on improving trust between police and communities. 

The move effectively ends the U.S. Department of Justice's collaborative reform initiative as it has existed since 2011. The program's focus has been shifted to providing training on active shooters, dismantling gangs and other criminal investigations.

Cities such as Milwaukee, which are currently under review, will be moved into the new version of the program, a department spokeswoman said Saturday.

As a result, those agencies will not get federal help to boost accountability or to implement reforms, as they would have under the old version of the program.

Instead, they will receive assistance with policing tactics to reduce crime.

Caroline Cournoyer is GOVERNING's senior web editor.