Mayor, County Executive Raise Concerns About Safety at Train Station 

The Milwaukee Intermodal Station is located in downtown Milwaukee. Evan Casey/WPR

A Milwaukee alder is calling on the state Department of Transportation to take over management of the Milwaukee Intermodal Station following a sexual assault that occurred at that facility recently.

The Milwaukee Intermodal Station, which is owned by the state, is known as the gateway to the city, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The station is a passenger stop for Amtrak trains as well as regional and local buses.

Milwaukee Alder Bob Bauman is now pushing for the state DOT to “take responsibility” for safety and security issues at the facility after a woman was sexually assaulted there last week. A Milwaukee man was criminally charged for the assault.

“It has become painfully obvious that the current status quo is not working,” Bauman said.

The state DOT contracts with outside agencies for the station’s management and security. Bauman is calling on the department to take over management, and to use Wisconsin State Patrol officers as security.

He said he believes safety concerns are leading more people to take trains or buses from stops at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport instead of the intermodal station downtown.

“People are going to stop using the facility,” Bauman said. “As it is, because of the crime issues and disorder — the airport is becoming the station of choice, because there’s no hassles down there.”

Bauman said there are also maintenance issues at the facility.

“We constantly receive complaints about the condition of the bathrooms,” Bauman said. He said the Milwaukee Police Department has also reported a “huge number of calls for service” at the facility.

Jeff Fleming, a spokesperson for Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, said Johnson “shares the alderman’s concerns.”

“And, he shares the expectations that the owner and operator of the facility improve safety,” Fleming wrote in an email. “People traveling to or from Milwaukee must be safe at publicly operated facilities.”

In a statement, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said, “Travelers should be able to feel safe when they’re traveling through the Milwaukee Intermodal Station.”

The Milwaukee Intermodal Station is seen here on April 14, 2026. Evan Casey/WPR

A spokesperson for the Milwaukee Police Department said the investigation into the sexual assault was “open and ongoing.”

A criminal complaint said 31-year-old Cephus Johnson of Milwaukee “came over the top of the wall partition” of a bathroom stall at the facility when a woman was using the bathroom at around 6 a.m., April 9. A Milwaukee Police Department statement said security at the facility “stopped the assault and the suspect became combative.”

“One shot was fired by security personnel however no one was struck,” the statement said.

Milwaukee resident Nicholas Cordonnier said he was at the station waiting for his train when he heard the gunshot.

“I heard the gunshot and I immediately thought of a mass shooter, or something of that nature,” Cordonnier said.

According to Wisconsin DOT, three outside contractors — Milwaukee Intermodal Partners, Founders 3 and Titan Security — “maintain, operate, and provide security for the building.”

“We will continue to advocate with those contracting partners for appropriate security adjustments based on what we learn through the investigation,” the statement said.

Milwaukee Intermodal Partners is based in California, according to state records, and contact information was not available. A Tuesday email from Founders 3 said the company did not have a comment.

The Amtrak runs out of the Milwaukee Intermodal Station. Evan Casey/WPR

Cordonnier, who uses the Milwaukee Intermodal Station three days a week to commute by train to his job in Chicago, said he hasn’t personally felt unsafe at the facility.

“I’ve never felt like I was in danger at any moment traveling in the Intermodal Station,” Cordonnier said.

Several vehicles parked at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station were broken into in 2017 and again in 2021, according to local news reports. Bauman said he believes that issue has been taken care of.

Bauman would like to see Wisconsin State Patrol officers patrolling the station.

“They can park a trooper there during the day when it’s open, park the state patrol car right out in front and have the guy just walk around,” he said.

Milwaukee alder calls on DOT to improve safety at city train, bus station  was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.