Milwaukee’s New District Attorney Sworn In

Kent Lovern Sworn In as District Attorney. Photo taken by Graham Kilmer.

New Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern was officially sworn in Thursday.

Lovern took the reigns of the district attorney’s office on Jan. 6 from former top prosecutor John Chisholm, who did not run for re-election in 2024 after holding the office since 2006. Lovern has served in the district attorney’s office for the past 27 years, spending much of that time as chief deputy district attorney and overseeing the Homicide Unit and the Public Integrity Unit.

The investiture ceremony was held at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center. The event was well attended by local law enforcement officials, politicians and community leaders, including Lovern’s predecessors Chisholm and E. Michael McCann.

The location was chosen in honor of Lovern’s grandfather, who served during World War II, and, as Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeff Altenburg said, in light of the fact “that [Kent] has visited this room just about every week for over 20 years as a member of the Rotary Club.”

Altenburg offered an introduction to the proceedings, which included remarks from Milwaukee County Sheriff Denita Ball, Sojourner Family Peace Center President and CEO Carmen Pitre, Forward Latino CEO Darryl Morin, Greater Milwaukee Committee President Joel Brennan and Adam Procell, founder of Paradigm Shift, an organization that works on community re-entry for formerly incarcerated persons.

Chief Judge Carl Ashley delivered the oath of office to Lovern, who was joined by his wife Susan and son Zach.

Afterward, Lovern delivered a brief speech about the potential he sees in Milwaukee and how he believes it can be fulfilled — by his office and in partnership with the wider community.

“By all the qualities that measure the vitality of an urban center, the Milwaukee region strongly competes with metropolitan areas much larger and better known than ours,” Lovern said. “We have a deep sense of civic pride in wanting this community of ours to live up to its potential. At the same time we face challenges today, especially in the post pandemic world.”

In surveying the challenges facing Milwaukee, the new district attorney said the community, as a whole, must share a clear sense of accountability, to one another and for individual actions, and that it is the role of the justice system to reinforce this.

“It must be clearly understood that a threat to safety within our community will be met with a commensurate response,” Lovern said.

The accountability extends to the justice system, as well, which must demonstrate this by acting “fairly and consistently,” upholding the rule of law.

Lovern also drew a connection between poverty and crime and the trauma, sometimes generational, that affects many of the individuals in the justice system, and some entire neighborhoods.

“We know that much of the trauma suffered by individuals in our community is manifested through substance abuse and mental illness,” Lovern said. “Our justice system needs to continue to work closely with our medical community and our nonprofit sector so those who pose a greater threat to themselves then to others can receive the support and care they need.”

Furthermore, public safety is also intertwined with economic prosperity or lack thereof, Lovern said.  “Violent crime does not thrive in neighborhoods with high rates of housing stability and family-sustaining jobs,” he said, adding that he thought Milwaukee was as well-positioned to respond to economic challenges as any other metropolitan area and calling for greater collaboration among regional leaders and institutions — many of which were represented by those in the room.

“My commitment to all of you is to work tirelessly to make our community safer,” Lovern said, in closing his remarks. “I will respond to the actions strongly that threaten our collective safety. I will respond with appropriate compassion to those who need help. I will work with anyone, anyone who genuinely wants to strengthen our county so that we can create the community we aspire to be.”

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