MILWAUKEE — City leaders shared the Milwaukee Police Department's (MPD) new violent crime plan on Thursday.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Police Chief Jeffery Norman, Office of Violence Prevention Director Ashanti Hamilton, along with the leaders of Sojourner Family Peace Center and Paradigm Shyft, unveiled MPD's violent crime plan. This comes just under two months after the city's release of last year's crime numbers.
The plan prioritizes better cooperation among law enforcement, community organizations, and the people of Milwaukee.
"We're talking about barber shops, salons. We're talking about individuals who have a stake in a healthy and impactful community," said Chief Norman.
Part of the 44-page plan shares a strategy for each police district to target crime at a micro level.
The "micro plans" identify crime hot spots in each police district to be addressed individually, based on the specific needs of those areas.
District 4, for example, has Focus Areas in neighborhoods including Woodlands and Bradley Estates. The goals in those areas, among others, are to identify at-risk youth and expand foot and bike patrols to expand community engagement.
"I feel very optimistic where we are, where we've come. We've really dug deep and been engaging," said Mayor Johnson.
Last year, crime fell overall in Milwaukee by 15 percent, but homicides jumped 11 percent, according to police data.
Leaders said Thursday that they want more officers on the streets. But the new plan also stresses prevention just as much as enforcement.
"We are facing a crisis like I've never seen in 38 years," said Carmen Petre of Sojourner Family Peace Center. "If there was a word beyond emergency, I would be using it."
The city hopes greater partnerships with organizations like Sojourner Peace Center will also help prevent family and youth violence.
New initiatives, however, will require funding on top of existing plans. Though the mayor said he's hopeful efforts in Madison will lead to more cash.
"We're in the position for the first time in decades where everybody seems to be on the same accord where more resources need to be available to the city of Milwaukee," said Mayor Johnson.
Another key tenet of the plan — transparency. And the city said it's started by sharing the entire Violent Crime Plan for the public. You can read it in full on their website.
Watch their press conference here:
Read Milwaukee police's news release about the plan:
The Violent Crime Plan is intended to continue to promote transparency and provide an overview on our public safety efforts related to mitigating violent crime. This Plan reveals and highlights ongoing and new initiatives that MPD utilizes or intends to utilize to prevent, respond to, and reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods. This plan is continuously evolving as crime trends shift, priorities change and new initiatives and ideas are explored.
To be clear, MPD is committed to mitigating all crime and indeed has strategies in place for other priority crimes like reckless driving, human trafficking, auto thefts and robberies. This Violent Crime Plan; however, is an overview of our targeted efforts to address violent crime.
The Milwaukee Police Department is committed to working with our community and system partners to build sustainable neighborhoods free of crime that are built on positive relationships.
This article will be updated with the latest information from the crime plan.
2022 crime numbers: City of Milwaukee homicides up 11%, serious crime down 15%
Madison Goldbeck, Jan. 11
Overall serious crime in Milwaukee was down by a combined 15% in 2022 when compared to 2021 numbers, according to city officials. However, homicides in Milwaukee climbed 11%, according to police in January of 2023.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, and Office of Violence Prevention Director Ashanti Hamilton gathered Thursday morning to discuss the 2022 Milwaukee crime numbers.
Serious crime is defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as Part 1 Offenses. This includes criminal homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny theft, motor vehicle theft, arson, and human trafficking - both commercial sex acts and involuntary servitude.
The City of Milwaukee broke its homicide record for the third year in a row in November 2022. According to the Milwaukee Police Department's (MPD) database, there were 214 homicides in 2022 compared to a total of 193 in 2021. In 2020 there were 190, and in 2019, there were 97.
Another area of crime that saw an increase in 2022 was carjackings in Milwaukee. MPD numbers show there were 372 carjackings in 2021, which rose by 7% in 2022 with 397 carjackings. Arson also saw a 4% increase with 246 incidents in 2021 and 255 in 2022.
The city saw a 23% decrease in motor vehicle thefts. MPD's database shows there were 10,486 car thefts in 2021 compared to 8,090 in 2022. Robbery was also an area of crime that decreased. When compared to 2021 numbers, robbery went down 14% in Milwaukee in 2022. Non-fatal shootings remained about the same with 873 in 2021 and 877 in 2022.
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