Milwaukee Co. Executive David Crowley suspends inmate tablet messaging services The order only applies to the Community Reintegration Center.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced on Friday that he has directed the Community Reintegration Center to suspend tablet messaging features immediately.

The suspension comes as some inmates have recently been charged with using the tablets from jail to send threatening messages to victims. According to a release from the office of County Executive Crowley, this action will be in place until  additional safeguards are in place to protect the victims. 


The County Executive's Office said it has investigated this matter alongside the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, the CRC and Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office.

Crowley's order does not include the Milwaukee County Jail yet because the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office oversees the jail. In his statement Friday night, Crowley called on the sheriff's office to implement the same plan of action for the tablets within the Milwaukee County Jail.

 I will not tolerate victim harassment or witness intimidation. That is why I am ordering the CRC and calling on the Sheriff's Office to disable this feature until we are confident strong safeguards are in place to prevent misuse and protect victims,  Crowley said.  Communication technology can support rehabilitation, but it absolutely cannot be at the expense of victims' safety. Period. 

According to the release, county officials will continue to meet with the tablet vendor, IC Solutions, to establish stricter rules and safety measures to allow residents to use tablets to stay in touch with loved ones, without risk of misuse.

Despite messaging being disabled, those in the CRC can still connect with family and friends through phone calls, video visitation and in-person visits.

WISN 12 News has reached out to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office for comment.
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