Crime is Down Across Milwaukee, But Homicides Are Rising
Newly-released crime data shows city going against national trend on homicides.
The Milwaukee Police Administration Building on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022, in Milwaukee, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
Violent crime is down by over 20 percent in Milwaukee but homicides are still increasing compared to last year.
There have been 110 homicides in the city so far this year. That’s up from 102 during the same time in 2024, according to Milwaukee Police Department data.
Milwaukee’s homicide numbers contradict national trends. The country is on track to have its lowest murder rate ever. In most major U.S. cities, murders are at their lowest numbers since before the pandemic.
City officials held a press conference Friday morning to discuss crime data and efforts to increase public safety.
“These latest numbers build on trends that we’ve been seeing showing that Milwaukee is becoming a safer and safer city,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.
Serious crimes like robberies, assaults, carjackings and auto thefts are down by double-digit percentages year-to-date from 2024.
Though homicide numbers are rising, non-fatal shootings in Milwaukee have plummeted the past two years. They are down 22 percent this year compared to the same period last year and have decreased 40 percent since 2023.
“We’ve seen eight more killings, unfortunately, than we saw last year,” Johnson said. “But there’s a twist to the numbers, because shootings that result in injuries and not death are down significantly.”
Many of the homicides have been due to poor conflict resolution and minor incidents that escalated, city officials said. Some children have been victims and perpetrators in gun violence incidents.
In September, officers charged a 13-year-old Milwaukee boy in the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy. The shooting came after an attempted robbery and subsequent struggle over a gun.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman urged the community to come together to help prevent gun violence across the city.
“We have to work together to ensure that our kids are not possessing firearms and harm themselves and harming each other,” Norman said.
Norman said MPD is leaning in on its partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools to keep schools and students safe.
“We can never be so analytical that we miss the fact that these are people that we’re talking about,” Johnson said. “They’re not just numbers. These are actual human beings, actual human lives that are affected by this violence.”
Crime is down across Milwaukee, but homicides continue to rise was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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