Ald. Westmoreland: MPD to put greater emphasis on littering violations

Milwaukee Police officers will be proactively addressing littering violations citywide in an effort to help curb a messy problem that has ramped up significantly in recent years.

Alderman Lamont Westmoreland, who has made the battle against littering one of his key priorities, said he is “extremely grateful to Chief of Police Jeffrey Norman and MPD command staff” for their willingness to have the department become a key partner in the fight to keep Milwaukee clean and to improve the overall quality of life in the city.

“It (police enforcement) will be a serious dose of reality for those who just can’t seem to put trash where it belongs,” Alderman Westmoreland said, noting the base penalty for littering is a $500 fine.

“I believe that getting hit in the wallet will help change behaviors, making all areas of the city less impacted by littering – especially come spring time and hopefully for months and years to come,” the Alderman said.

According to Alderman Westmoreland, an MPD roll call memo for patrol officers will require officers to make contact with individuals seen littering.

]The ultimate focus is to stop littering behavior and allowing members of the public an opportunity to correct their action, Alderman Westmoreland said, noting officers will also look at properties and businesses that are suspected “litter generators.”

Alderman Westmoreland said the new emphasis on littering will be a process that could take some time to take hold. “Officers, when making observations of this behavior, will be relying on their common sense and use of their discretion when deciding the disposition of these encounters with individuals who are littering,” he said.

“It might not be an overnight transformation in the behavior of some who just can’t stop littering, but I see the day coming when they say to themselves ‘It’s just not worth it,’” the Alderman said.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.