Activists in Milwaukee are calling for more community control of police as the public learns about a Milwaukee Police Department officer arrested by federal authorities last week. Juwon Madlock, who had 10 years of service at MPD, is accused of a variety of crimes stemming from his alleged relationship with a local gang, News From The States reports. A federal complaint accuses Madlock of possessing a machine gun, selling guns and ammunition to local gang members and using police databases to furnish intelligence to those gangs about rivals and informants. The complaint alleges that Madlock worked with “a violent street gang in Milwaukee” identified as the “Burleigh Zoo Family.” It’s unclear whether the gang chose the name or whether it was bestowed on the group by law enforcement investigators. The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, a local group which has called for accountability and community oversight of law enforcement said that Madlock appears on Milwaukee County’s Brady List of officers with problematic histories.
Records related to Madlock’s disciplinary history maintained by the Fire and Police Commission mention that Madlock and another officer, Benjamin Bender, violated integrity standards for failing to investigate a reported shooting from a victim who came to a police station in 2021 The alliance Against questioned why an officer with Madlock’s history was allowed to remain on MPD, and whether other officers who have violated police standards continue to serve on MPD. Madlock was arrested on March 12 The trail to Madlock’s door began on Feb 13, when MPD’s Special Investigations Division, tactical units, and federal task force officers of the FBI’s “Milwaukee Area Safe Streets Task Force” executed a search warrant of a home in the Milwaukee suburb of Greenfield. Their target, 29-year-old Cobie Hannah Jr., was wanted by the Milwaukee County sheriff. Although Hannah was ordered not to have weapons, when officers searched his home, they allegedly found firearms, stolen license plates and false vehicle registrations. After seizing and searching an iPhone and laptops, investigators found a text message chain from a number they later linked to Madlock using “law enforcement and open-source databases,” the complaint states. The text messages reveal conversations in which Madlock discusses selling guns and ammunition to members of the “Burleigh Zoo Family." The messages also discuss what investigators believe are plans to steal cars. Madlock appeared to be providing gang members with information about police movements and patrols, so that alleged gang members who were wanted could avoid law enforcement. Some of the messages suggested Madlock used law enforcement databases to renew plates which were also used by gang members to avoid law enforcement.