MILWAUKEE — It's the year of elections in 2024, and locally, Milwaukee County is no different.
Friday, we learned long-standing District Attorney John Chisholm will not seek re-election, leaving the DA's seat wide open. We sat down with Chisholm Monday to talk about his highs, lows and who he thinks should take the seat next.
"This is my community. This is where I've raised my family. This is where I grew up myself, and I feel very, very strongly that every single family in this community should have the same opportunities that I had," Chisholm explained.
Community has been Chisholm's top priority over the last two decades as Milwaukee County's top prosecutor.
"For me, this role, this responsibility has always just been a privilege. It's allowed me to work with some of the finest people of public service," he said.
Watch: Our full one-on-one interview with outgoing DA Chisholm:
Chisholm was hired as an assistant district attorney in 1994, eventually becoming DA in 2006.
He said his main focus was bridging the gap between victims, their families, and the court system, using restorative justice and community partners to do so. Chisholm said he did this by getting out of the courtroom and onto the streets.
"It was part of an approach that said we should identify people that pose a risk to the community and treat them differently than people that were coming in for a combination of reasons," Chisholm said.
With that approach, Chisholm said the nationally recognized Community Partnership Program paved the way to evolve the handling of domestic violence cases in tandem with the Sojourner Family Peace Center, expanding violent crime victim witness protection, and evolving the relationship with childrens court to ensure kids have protection too.
"Those are the things I've been the proudest of being able to not only secure them, but in many ways actually strengthen them over the years," Chisholm added.
Chisholm's successes mount, but the public scrutiny he's received over high-profile cases, hasn't gone unnoticed.
Cases like Derek Williams' who died in the back of a Milwaukee Police Officer's squad car. Chisholm cleared officers of any wrongdoing.
Corey Stingley, who died after being held down by three men while attempting to steal alcohol from a West Allie convenience store. Chisholm stands by his decision not to charge them men, saying there wasn't enough evidence.
Two John Doe investigations. One that resulted in convictions for some of former Governor Scott Walker's associates.
And lastly, Dontre Hamilton. Hamilton was shot 14 times by an MPD officer. The officer was fired, but never prosecuted. It's a case, Chisholm said, still sits with him today.
"This was a case that cried out for body cameras or video surveillance footage, anything. You had none of that, till this day, it still stuns me," Chisholm said Monday.
In 2014, Chisholm said MPD officers didn't have body cameras, but after Hamilton's death, things changed.
"That sometimes is the positive thing that comes out of the tragedies, right. It creates that impetus to do whatever piece of accountability and transparency that you can," Chisholm explained.
Change Chisholm said he hopes continues with him out of office, and a message of thanks to the entire Milwaukee community.
"Just gratitude, just a sense of total privilege, and it's been my honor to serve them," Chisholm said.
Chisholm will remain the district attorney until the end of this year, with an election for the new DA in August and November. He said he wants to see his executive assistant, Kent Lovern, in the seat next.
As for Chisholm, he said he wants to focus on potential academics and non-profit work when he's done.
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