The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office
The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office prosecutes criminal offenses involving violations of state and local laws, as well as county ordinances, as well as litigating child protection cases in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. The office is overseen by a district attorney, who is elected to lead the office and oversees the work of his or her staff. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office employs approximately 120 assistant district attorneys and 160 support staff members, including victim-witness advocates, clerical and investigative specialists, and crisis-response response specialists.
John Chisholm
Prosecutor and politician John Theodore “JT” Chisholm is a leader in the American criminal justice system. He has been in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office since 2007. Before his election in 2006, he specialized in prosecuting complex conspiracy crimes. Chisholm served as a prosecutor in Chicago before taking office in Milwaukee in 2007.
As district attorney of Milwaukee County, John Walsh has fought to make his office a safer place by focusing on violent crime and drug offenses. He has hired twenty police officers to investigate threats against witnesses. He has also implemented a national community prosecution program that stations experienced prosecutors in targeted neighborhoods. He is committed to ensuring that justice is fair for all residents. He has said that he plans to expand his office’s community prosecutions.
When he finished school, Chisholm began applying to every DA’s office in Wisconsin. He asked his mentor to recommend him. The Milwaukee County DA’s Office was a perfect fit for Chisholm. With a degree in criminal justice, he did not doubt his future. The DA’s office has changed the way they work, and now employs an array of innovative programs to keep the community safe.
Dawn Rabin
Deputy District Attorney Dawn Rabin has been a longtime fixture in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. Initially, she worked in the mercantile sector in St. Louis. The firm also specialized in selling ready-made clothing and lumber. Now, she serves as chief prosecutor of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office. Read her bio below to learn more about her career and her personal life.
Rebecca Brown
Having previously worked in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, Rebecca Brown has extensive experience defending both corporate and individual clients in a variety of litigation matters. She has represented clients in disputes arising from non-competition, non-solicitation, and non-disclosure agreements. Rebecca has represented clients in arbitration proceedings before the American Arbitration Association and adversary proceedings in bankruptcy court. She has handled a wide variety of disciplinary and administrative hearings, and she is adept at dealing with the many issues that arise in this area of law.
In one case, in which the defendant was out on bail, the investigation was a particularly difficult one. In another, more serious, felony case, Ellis-Brown was arrested on $1,000 bail after the robbery. The criminal complaint revealed that Ellis-Brown was the shooter; the police believe there were two other suspects in the vehicle. One bullet, however, narrowly missed the detective’s heart. In a botched carjacking attempt, Ellis-Brown dropped her cell phone and threatened the female DoorDash driver. The detective intervened and Ellis-Brown began physically attacking the woman to get her phone back.
Darrell Brooks
A judge is weighing the charges against Darrell Brooks, the Wisconsin man accused of fatally running over a mother and her child during a Christmas parade. Brooks was charged with six counts of intentional homicide. The victims included Jane Kulich, 52; Wilhelm Gospel, 81; and Jackson Sparks, 8 years old. The charges against Brooks are unprecedented, but the district attorney’s office is determined to pursue the highest level of prosecution possible.
The case has reignited long-running debates over criminal justice, homicide, and parole, particularly in Wisconsin. The controversy also reflects concerns over the disproportionate number of minorities incarcerated in Wisconsin. Some conservatives argued that the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office’s decision to set a $1,000 bail for Darrell Brooks was linked to Walker’s “de-fund the police” movement.
