David Crowley's Mandate
Added: 5/14/2025, 11:43:52 AM
Investing in Justice: Courthouse Complex
- Office of Strategy Budget and Performance>
- Investing in Justice - Courthouse Complex
Public Safety Building Poses Risks to Safety, Justice
Like all Wisconsin counties, Milwaukee County is considered an administrative arm of the State of Wisconsin and is mandated to provide certain services – including judicial services. As a result, Milwaukee County maintains and operates facilities including the Historic Courthouse and the Public Safety Building at the Courthouse Complex in downtown Milwaukee.
The existing Courthouse Complex facilities are severely outdated and present challenges to public safety and security. Most pressing, the Public Safety Building was built nearly 100 years ago and does not meet modern needs for supporting the safety of our region, the health of our community, or the rehabilitation of our neighbors.
Construction and renovation within the Courthouse Complex is necessary. It is critical to pursue it now to protect taxpayers, address significant safety and constitutional concerns, and preserve the continuity of court operations. Delaying means monumental cost increases, reducing available resources for critical services for our most vulnerable.
The Courthouse Complex is comprised of three buildings in downtown Milwaukee: The Historic Courthouse (901 N. 9th St.), the Criminal Justice Facility (949 N. 9th St.) and the Public Safety Building (821 W. State St.).
Years of Analysis Point to Path Forward
In 2016, a Milwaukee County Courthouse Advisory Group was created to address critical problems with the Public Safety Building. That group published a report that recommended replacing the Public Safety Building and moving all criminal courts into one facility. That recommendation was backed up in 2018 by a Wisconsin Policy Forum report further exploring the need for investments and options to finance a new facility.
Nearly a decade after the Courthouse Advisory Group was created, Milwaukee County faces a now-critical need to re-envision and invest in justice and safety through the construction of a new building to replace the crumbling Public Safety Building and the renovation of the other integrated facilities.
- Wisconsin Policy Forum - May 2018: THE JURY IS OUT - Options for financing a new Milwaukee County Justice Center
Poor building flow impacts court outcomes
The Public Safety Building’s layout does not comply with Wisconsin Supreme Court Rule #68 governing the structure and design of courthouses. Without secure paths to transport 10,000 annual defendants away from victims, jurors and the public, interactions between defendants and others in common areas lead to mistrials, a slowed process, and exacerbate backlogs.
Spaces in the Public Safety Building are functionally obsolete
- Many spaces are not ADA-compliant.
- 60,000 square feet (20%) sit vacant due to low ceiling heights, uneven flooring and inadequate column density that make the space unsafe and undignified. Most of the vacant space is in the old county jail, which has not been used for 30 years.
- Infrastructure is failing: facades are crumbling, pipes are leaking and windows are breaking.
- The electrical system has exceeded its useful lifespan, air distribution is limited without mechanical ventilation, air quality issues exist, and there is known asbestos and lead-containing materials in the building.