The Milwaukee Police Department's beleaguered radio system continues to claim more victims than just taxpayers. The list now includes one of the men in blue.

The city went ahead and purchased the OpenSky digital radio system in 2003 despite warnings that it was fundamentally flawed and not terribly compatible with other systems. Dead spots and difficult communication were a common occurrence in other cities and Milwaukee has found the situation the same here. And despite cost projections of $14.9 million, the price tag has ballooned to $17.5 million and is almost five years late in getting fully online.

MPD asked and received nearly another $1 million from the city coffers this week, but not before a MPD officer was suspended for 20 days after attempting to organize a protest of the system. Sgt. Willie O. Murphy sent out a text to his colleagues urging them to stop making traffic stops until the radio system was fixed.

"A supervisor who counsels co-workers to organize an illegal work stoppage is acting against the public interest and seriously jeopardizes public safety," Chief Ed Flynn said in a statement. "This is not a case of a 'whistle blower.'"

Looming on the horizon in two years is the fact that the system's consoles will be obsolete in 2012, giving the city just two years worth of functionality. Florida-based Harris Corp., which bought the company that made OpenSky, has asked the city for patience as it deals with the problems.

"The MPD began installing OpenSky M7200 mobile radios in all new squad cars in 2007. By January 2009, problems with radio interference, unstable radio sites and unexpected alert tones and noises had been resolved," according to a Legislative Reference Bureau report.

The city officials in charge of granting the bid have since left the employ of Milwaukee. Competitors to OpenSky during the city's bidding process readily supplied information that the system was quirky and faulty.

In October, Flynn warned aldermen that the radio money pit would continue.

"The consoles have issues," Flynn told a council committee in October. "We are owning the legacy of another system."

"Police departments always get their clocks cleaned by salesmen," he admitted.

Just say no to ex-cons: Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan is taking a serious "not in my backyard" stand over the issue of the state's early prisoner release plan that would let non-violent offenders out of prison in order to save the state some dough on incarceration.

Donovan says that isn't going to happen in his aldermanic district on the near South Side.

"I'll be damned if the state is going to balance its budget on the backs of the decent, hard-working people of my district," says the oft-outspoken alder. "I don't want even one convicted felon being released early to my district -- period."

"Just as Gov. Thompson said years ago -- ‘Stick it to ‘em (Milwaukee)' on the Miller Park financing, now Gov. Doyle is sticking it to Milwaukee with an influx of convicted felons who should be serving their full sentences," he said.

Donovan estimates the city would get a minimum of 65 percent to 75 percent of the roughly 3,000 inmates eligible for early release.

"What's next -- brownie points for inmates who keep a tidy cell?" he said.

The offensive Feingold: The re-election campaign of U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold isn't taking any chances on a Tommy Thompson appearance to compete with the incumbent's camp. In what has become an unusually aggressive Feingold effort, his team didn't waste anytime in responding to reports from Washington that Thompson was once again dallying the self-gratifying news that he was considering running against Feingold, since his two Republican opponents are not known by anybody outside Dane County.

Thompson supporters got the ear of a Washington Post political columnist and posited the idea that the former governor and Health and Human Services Secretary is "50-50" on whether or not to challenge Feingold. The source said Thompson would make up his mind before the May 20 state GOP convention.

While D.C. pundits suggest Thompson's flame may have burned out with state voters, Feingold's people aren't taking any chances. The camp has sent out two statements in response to the latest news about Tommy.

"I'm sure you've probably heard by now that (Thompson) will likely be entering the Republican primary to run against Russ this November. And while he isn't formally in the race yet, he's already throwing punches from outside the ring," says a statement from the campaign.

"During an interview last Friday, instead of answering questions about his work as a D.C. insider taking on corporate special interests as clients -- and making millions for doing their bidding -- he attacked Russ."

The e-mail goes on to ask its readers for a $20 campaign contribution, as his campaign done for some time.

"Thompson, who continues to refuse to disclose who he is working for at one of Washington's largest lobbying shops, attacked Russ saying, among other things, he ‘has been in Washington too long,'" continues another e-mail asking for $20. "Unlike [Thompson], Russ hasn't been a friend to D.C. corporate interests."

In another $20 pitch this week, the Feingold camps reports "Secretary Thompson has spent the last week ‘calling top donors' in advance of his formal campaign launch. With the secret, corporate interests he works for on speed dial, Thompson has been calling his clients about his campaign, and raising money before he even officially enters the race."

It also reports that Thompson already has over $200,000 in pledges for his senate run.

The two unsung current candidates-Madison developer Terrance Wall and Watertown small-business man Dave Westlake indicate they are staying in the race for now even if Thompson rears his head.

Wall has tossed his campaign at least $275,000 from his own bank account and says he's got too much money into the effort to quit now. Feingold's camp has battered Wall for not paying state corporate taxes because his development firm is registered in Delaware. Westlake doesn't have near the money Wall does.

Work numbers: Recent job stats from the Center on Wisconsin Strategy have positives and negatives in the same breath. COWS reports that the state got some relief from job loss in January, but unemployment still rose. Since the December 2007, the state has lost 181,500 jobs -- a 6.3 percent loss. The think tank calls this latest recession "far worse" than the recessions of 2001, 1990, and 1981 in terms of total jobs lost.

Various other employment stats:

• Wisconsin gained 5,600 jobs from December to January, only the second month-to-month growth in employment in over a year and a half. But that gain does nothing to offset the huge job losses in the past two years.
• Wisconsin's unemployment rate was 8.7 percent in January, up a smidgen from December and nearly twice its pre-recession level.
• Wisconsin gained 3,300 manufacturing jobs in January. COWS sees that as hope the industry is getting more stable. Nonetheless, the state has 76,300 fewer manufacturing jobs than when the recession started -- a 15 percent loss.
• About 1,800 construction jobs were lost between December and January, bringing the total number of jobs lost to 94,100-the lowest level since May 1993.

Train keeps a rollin': Milwaukee County Exec/GOP Statehouse hopeful Scott Walker continues to rip Gov. Jim Doyle for having the state choose Spanish train-maker Talgo to build high speed trains to ride the tracks between Madison and Chicago.

Talgo says it will create 125 jobs to build the cars. Walker says the deal comes at the expense of jobs at local train maker Super Steel, which coincidentally filed for receivership a few days after the deal was announced. Super Steel claims the timing was not connected to Talgo.

The Milwaukee Common Council disagreed, however, granting the company a lease to 133,600 square feet in a city-owned building at the former Tower Automotive. The space is being leased at $2.59 a square foot for two years, with options for another six years. It says the project will get underway in July.

Ald. Willie Wade, who represents the Tower site district, now known by the much more attractive moniker of Century City, also thinks otherwise.

"The governor worked hard on this exciting project, and because of his efforts Milwaukee stands to benefit for many years to come," says the alderman. "Talgo has given us a bright ray of hope that we can once again manufacture valuable machines."

The Tower site is owned by the city now as part of a plan to spend $34.6 million to redevelop an 84-acre portion. Talgo will take up about 14.8 acres and the city will spend $6 million to upgrade that building.

The deal is for a two-year lease with two five-year options and ultimately Talgo can buy the site.

Party on the patio: Getting the jump on the July 5 statewide indoor smoking ban has Milwaukee inundated with requests from taverns for extension of premise licenses to allow for patios, which in turn would allow for patrons an easy place to smoke.

Among the recent converts to patio life is Mike Roman, owner of Romans Pub, 3475 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Roman's is not only known for a robust selection of beers from around the world, but also a fine selection of cigars and a welcome atmosphere to puff on the heaters. Roman stands to lose some serious cigar business when the ban kicks in.

To help counteract that he's asking the city for permission to build a "four seasons room" as a deck attached to his building.