MPD Unveils Violent Crime Reduction Plan

City leaders gathered to unveil MPD’s spring 2023 Violent Crime Plan. Photo taken March 9, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.

The Milwaukee Police Department has unveiled a new plan to reduce violent crime in Milwaukee.

Chief Jeffrey Norman, along with Mayor Cavalier Johnson and other city leaders, introduced the Spring 2023 Violent Crime Plan Thursday morning.

The plan intends to “continue to promote transparency” while providing an overview of MPD’s targeted efforts to address violent crime, according to a statement from MPD.

The 44-page plan includes a number of preventative and interventive methods of crime reduction such as community initiatives and youth engagement. These strategies aim to address what Johnson calls “the root causes of crime.”

But the mayor also noted plans to provide additional resources for MPD and increase the number of police officers in the city. In reference to groups who have in past years called for defunding the police, “I reject it,” Johnson said.

“Law enforcement, I believe, plays a vital role in making Milwaukee safer. I want additional resources for the Milwaukee Police Department. I want more police officers in the city. But I also want to support and do support other approaches including prevention, as well as early intervention.”

MPD’s sworn strength has been reduced by more than 200 officers in the past decade, according to Norman. Its budget has already increased in that period as a result of increased salaries and benefits.

The city recently hired California-based Matrix Consulting Group to determine the ideal staffing levels for the department. The resulting 206-page report recommended two hard numbers for the city: hire 11 more sworn officers and add 116 civilian community service officer positions. It also recommended further adjustments to the staffing levels in the seven police districts.

In 2022, homicides hit a record high for the third year in a row. Other serious crimes — including sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault — collectively fell.

The city saw a record 214 homicides in 2022, while other violent crime in Milwaukee dropped by 6%, according to numbers released Thursday by MPD. Non-fatal shootings remained constant from 2021 to 2022.

Sojourner Family Peace Center Partnership

MPD will also continue its partnership with Sojourner Family Peace Center to directly address cases of domestic violence.

“Domestic violence homicide is the most predictable homicide that occurs,” said Carmen Pitre, president of Sojourner Family Peace Center. “You can see it happening right in front of your eyes.”

In 2017, the center and MPD created the Domestic Violence High Risk Team (DVHRT), a specialized group that looks into high-risk cases. Out of 3,800 cases investigated in the past five years, only one homicide has occurred, Pitre said.

She also noted the importance of using restorative justice strategies to disrupt cycles of violence.

“Violence is normalized to a degree…we learn that behavior through our environment,” she said. “We repeat it and we live up to that legacy until someone helps us through prevention and loves us and helps us heal so that we can have a different path.”

MPD plans to enhance its participation in DVHRT throughout 2023. That includes dedicating an additional seven officers to domestic violence. The DVHRT expansion is expected to complete within two months.

Youth and Community Outreach

A variety of initiatives — old and new — are included in the 2023 plan. Youth outreach programs such as Reach-A-Child, a book-distribution project and Atlas One, an app that allows students to report school safety issues, and others are slated to continue.

In addition, MPD plans to distribute community surveys within the next 30 days to gauge a baseline for community sentiment towards public safety, priorities and other factors. The results, divided by police district, will contribute to the creation of “micro crime plans” with district-specific focuses and partners. The micro crime plans are set to begin rollout within 60 days.

Longer-term priorities include the continuation of weekly public safety reviews, in which MPD and its intergovernmental partners review shootings that occurred the week prior and brainstorm ways to intervene, as well as expanding online reporting capabilities.

“Building trust with police departments is an essential part of making our community safe,” said Ashanti Hamilton, director of the Office of Violence Prevention. “That commitment, and creating a table for community members to actually participate, has been one of the strongest components of this. Because we’re stronger together, and that’s been the message and the theme of the plan.”