After Surprise Loss, Mayor Names New Violence Prevention Czar

Karin Tyler. Photo provided.

After losing the city’s violence prevention czar because of a previously unknown provision in the Wisconsin Constitution, Mayor Cavalier Johnson picked a replacement he had previously considered hiring for the role.

Johnson announced Wednesday that he’s nominating Karin Tyler to lead the Department of Community Wellness and Safety, formerly the Office of Violence Prevention.

Tyler was the only local finalist in 2025 when the job was last vacant, but Johnson picked Adam Procell, who hadn’t originally applied for the job, over the three finalists.

“For the better part of a decade, Karin Tyler has worked with the city’s violence prevention activities. She has skillfully managed many initiatives and issues during her time there, and she earned the respect of her colleagues,” Johnson said in a press release. “Karin has led the department through successful transitions, and she has my strong support.”

Procell announced his resignation after just five months in office. Originally hired to lead the Office of Community Wellness and Safety within the Department of Administration, he saw the Common Council spin the division off into its own department as part of the 2026 budgeting process and a power struggle with the administration. As part of reviewing the transition, City Attorney Evan Goyke concluded that Procell, who was convicted of homicide in 1996, was ineligible to lead a city department because of his past conviction. Neither Johnson nor the council knew of the restriction when the office was moved.

Tyler was given the interim title when Procell’s resignation became effective on Feb. 11. She previously led the operation after Ashanti Hamilton resigned in January 2025, until Procell was hired in August.

She’ll now need to secure Common Council approval. The biggest reason cited for moving the violence prevention office and the Office of Equity and Inclusion into standalone departments was so the council could hire and fire the leaders.

Tyler joined the Milwaukee Health Department as a disease intervention specialist in 2008 and the Office of Violence Prevention in 2017. According to the Mayor’s Office, Tyler holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cardinal Stritch University.

The Department of Community Wellness and Safety is involved in a number of violence prevention efforts, including partnering with the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) on a neighborhood-level violence interruption program (414Life), providing grants to community organizations and convening groups to address community issues.

Grants primarily fund the office. The 2026 budget calls for 15 positions with a $1.3 million budget. Procell’s salary, according to the budget, was $132,239. The operations manager, Tyler’s role since 2022, is budgeted to be paid $97,367.

Members of the public will have an opportunity to hear from Tyler at a town hall meeting on Thursday, Feb. 19, beginning at 6 p.m. at The Missing Peace – Community Collective, 3248 W. Brown St. As part of the 2025 hiring process, she participated in two community forums.

The department was created in 2008 as the Office of Violence Prevention and led by Terry Perry until her 2016 retirement. Reggie Moore substantially grew the office’s visibility during his tenure, which lasted from 2016 to 2021, when he took a statewide violence prevention job with MCW. Arnitta Holliman succeeded Moore as an internal promotion under then-Mayor Tom Barrett, only to be fired by Johnson in 2022. Johnson then appointed Hamilton to lead the office.