Milwaukee Police Department Rolls out Operation Save-A-Casing

MILWAUKEE, WI –  On Thursday, July 7^th, 2022, the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) announced the rollout of Operation Save-A-Casing. This is a partnership between the community and the police department to address the increase in firearm thefts from vehicles and residential burglaries.

Participation in this program is completely voluntary. Community members are asked to collect two spent casings. If their firearm is reported lost or stolen, they will be asked to place the two casings in the “Save-A-Casing” envelope and fill out the required information. The investigating officer will take custody of the envelope containing the two casings and will complete a Consent to Search Authorization form indicating consent to enter the casings into the Integrated Ballistics Identification System (IBIS) and provide the community member with a receipt for the property.

Community members also have the option of providing two spent shell casings without their firearm being lost or stolen. In this instance, the community member will fill out the envelope and be provided a Save-A-Casing receipt. A photo copy of the receipt will be conveyed, along with the casings, to the Fusion Division for storage. A consent form does not need to be completed until such time that the firearm is lost/stolen and the casings would be entered into IBIS.  Casings can only be entered into the system when the firearm was reported as lost or stolen.

Each district has Operation Save-A-Casing envelopes. Posters are displayed in the district lobby with a QR code. This QR code links to the MPD Save-A-Casing website describing the program, and also includes a short video on the program and FAQ’s.

In the summer of 2022, MPD will be acquiring its second National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) machine. NIBIN equipment is used to correlate spent bullet cartridges and connect them to other crimes and firearms. This equipment has been extremely valuable in connecting criminal offenses to suspects and that information has been used to successfully prosecute the same suspects. MPD is also exploring grant funding to increase staffing committed to NIBIN investigations and develop additional leads.

We encourage all gun owning residents to participate in the Save-A-Casing program and be “Part of the Solution.” We truly are “Better Together.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.