Friday, February 1, 2013
The Oak Creek police chief will talk about his meeting with Obama and the president's proposed gun measures.
Police Chief John Edwards will discuss his meeting at the White House and the president's proposed gun measures Sunday on UpFront with Mike Gousha. The program airs at 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. on WISN-TV (Channel 12). Sunday's show also features Sheriff David Clarke, who made national news with a radio spot urging citizens to arm themselves. Edwards met Monday with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with police chiefs from Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn. The Obama administration drew attention to the worst shootings of 2012 as it continues to push a comprehensive package of proposals aimed at reducing gun violence.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Oak Creek's police chief appeared on MSNBC a day after meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House to discuss gun violence measures.
A day after he met with President Barack Obama, Police Chief John Edwards appeared on MSNBC to talk about the meeting and the debate over gun violence. Edwards told the network the president asked him and other police chiefs, including those from Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., to be candid about what they thought. The issue, Edwards said, isn't about "gun control," which tends to divide people. It's about stopping violence in general. "The gun issue is so polarizing, a lot of people stop dead in their tracks when they hear that, and they hear nothing else," Edwards said. "And we don't get to the meat and potatoes of how to actually stop the violence." Edwards doesn't think banning any particular type of weapon will stop gun violence—…
Monday, January 28, 2013
Chief John Edwards and police chiefs from Aurora, Colo. and Newtown, Conn. were part of a meeting at the White House on gun violence.
Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards and police chiefs from Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn., met with President Barack Obama Monday to discuss gun violence. Obama is drawing attention to the worst shootings of 2012 as the administration pushes a package of gun reform proposals. Edwards told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the president's reforms likely would not have changed the events of Aug. 5, when a white supremacist killed six Oak Creek Sikh temple members. Gunman Wade Michael Page purchased a 9-millimeter handgun legally prior to the shooting and was not barred from owning it. But in a shooting at an Oak Creek hotel in 2004, the gunman was a felon armed with an automatic weapon. Felons are prohibited from possessing a gun. "We have …
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Saturday's event at East Middle School focused on how each person can play a role in preventing the acts of violence seen in Newtown and the Oak Creek Sikh temple.
Those who came to Saturday's community forum ready for a fight on gun control—and judging by the NRA pamphlets distributed outside East Middle School, some were—probably went home disappointed. The forum was a departure from many of the debates happening around the country and in high levels of government following the Dec. 14 school shooting in Newtown, Ct. Five months after Oak Creek was shocked by the mass shooting at the Sikh temple, community leaders discussed how these events happen and the things any person can do to help prevent them in the future. "I wanted to make sure this wasn't a two-hour discussion about gun control, because frankly I don't think it would have been productive," Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi said. "Guns were …
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Oak Creek offers help and advice on trying to heal following a mass shooting.
Unfortunately, Oak Creek knows about trying to heal after a mass shooting, with the city just four months out from the attack at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. So a few days after the shocking attack in Newtown, Ct. that left 26 dead, Oak Creek officials reached out to leaders of the community to offer whatever help and advice they can. Mayor Steve Scaffidi said he reached out to the Newtown's first selectman, which is the chief executive and administrative officer of the town. In his own experience, Scaffidi said he focused on making something positive out of a negative situation—and continues to do so. Police Chief John Edwards said in an MSNBC interview that he left a message for the town's police chief and talked to some of the …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
On the Rachel Maddow Show, Edwards related some of his experiences from the Sikh temple shootings.
Police Chief John Edwards appeared on MSNBC Monday night in the wake of the Newtown school shooting. Edwards related his experience from the Aug. 5 shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, discussing the impact on the first responders and steps that have been taken in the aftermath. Watch the full video above. (Edwards appears at about the 6:45 mark)
Monday, September 10, 2012
Lt. Brain Murphy was reported to have been shot eight to nine times during the attack at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. The number of shots was actually much higher.
The story of Oak Creek Police Lt. Brian Murphy and how he survived eight to nine gunshots from Wade Michael Page was incredible enough and captured the attention of people around the world. It turns out, Murphy survived many more gunshots than first thought. Murphy visited the Oak Creek Police Department recently and told Police Chief John Edwards he did an assessment of himself after returning home from the hospital. He found the total number of shots taken was actually 15. Twelve shots from Page's 9mm handgun hit Murphy and three hit Murphy's bulletproof vest. "There was a lot of talk about the eight to nine rounds," Edwards said. "That was something that people asked for. (Doctors) were just worried about treating him ... there was no …
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
An officer will be hired on a contingency basis as the department faces a long, and possibly permanent, absence of Lt. Brian Murphy, who was shot eight times during the attack at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin.
The Oak Creek Police Department is hiring an officer on a contingency basis as it faces the long, and possibly permanent, absence of Lt. Brian Murphy. Police Chief John Edwards said it's too early to say when Murphy will come back to work, if he comes back at all. Murphy was shot at least eight times during the Aug. 5 shootings at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin. He is out of the hospital, but faces a long recovery and cannot speak much due to a wound in the neck. "Lt. Murphy's injuries will require an extended period of time to heal," Edwards said in a memo to Oak Creek aldermen. "There is the possibility that he may not be able to come back to work as a result of the injuries." The department has made contingency hires many times before, …
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Mayor, police chief and fire chief will participate in a discussion on Aug. 28 about the response to the Sikh Temple shootings.
The Milwaukee Press Club will host a panel discussion later this month on the response to the Sikh Temple shootings and emergency preparedness for the community. The discussion, called "Lessons Learned From Oak Creek," will feature Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi, Police Chief John Edwards and Fire Chief Tom Rosandich. They will talk about what worked, what didn't work and answer questions from a panel of journalists. The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 28 at the Oak Creek Community Center, 8580 S. Howell Ave. Steve Jagler, executive editor of BizTimes Milwaukee and an Oak Creek native and resident, will moderate the forum. The cost to attend is $20 for Milwaukee Press Club members and $25 for non-members. To register, …
Monday, July 2, 2012
The car, seized by police after a drug deal, will make its debut at Wednesday's Fourth of July parade. And it won't look like any other Oak Creek police car.
A new Oak Creek squad car will debut at the Fourth of July parade Wednesday morning. But it's no an ordinary police car, in either look or history. The car was seized after a drug deal and later awarded to the Oak Creek Police Department. But the department decided to separate it from the other cars in the fleet by making it into a display car, with a unique design and painting. While it will be present at community events like the Fourth of July and National Night Out, it's not just for looks. Police Chief John Edwards said the department will use the car regularly in traffic enforcement. Importantly, the process to transform the car is costing taxpayers nothing, Edwards said. The car itself didn't cost anything, and two area businesses, …
vocal local 1
12:59 pm on Monday, February 4, 2013
Kim, I waited and listened and he said what I thought he would. Edwards promoted law that cannot be enforced on it's own. He wants more government in your life. He wants access to more info on private citizens and the ability when in your home for what ever reason to seize your guns if seen if anyone in your home cannot have guns. What we have here is knowledge of the chief's behaviors … more ›