Press Conference: Crime in Milwaukee falls 12.3% overall this year
Barb Notestein, Executive Director of Safe & Sound, spoke at a press conference with Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn, Mayor Tom Barrett and Common Council President Willie Hines, Jr. to recognize the 12.3% decrease in overall crime in Milwaukee. Chief Flynn has used his Neighborhood Task Force (NTF) to focus on crime hot spots, and the data suggests it is proving to be a success. He also emphasized that this success is attributable to residents who work closely with the police and are active participants in keeping their neighborhoods safe.
Barbara Notestein described how the Safe & Sound strategy has built a base of resident support, law-enforcement collaboration and youth anti-crime programming in these same neighborhoods. Safe & Sound Community Partners are out on the street every day and have also seen a noticeable decrease in many NTF neighborhoods in the level of violence and increase in resident involvement. Notestein highlighted one particular example of a Southside block club borne out of a serious gang problem and the organizing efforts of Community Partner Annie Weidert. It is the day-to-day collaborative efforts of law enforcement, residents and great community mobilizers like Annie that can take pride in the 12.3% drop in crime in Milwaukee.
“That’s a trend, not an anomaly,” Police Chief Edward A. Flynn said. “That’s an important point to stress here. That’s a big reduction, a one-quarter decrease in violent crime in two years.”
LINK: MPD Website Coverage
Milwaukee Police Department
Data Downloads and Links
LINK: JSOnline article
Crime in Milwaukee falls 12.3% overall this year
By Ryan Haggerty of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Oct. 20, 2009 6:00 a.m.
VIDEO LINK: WISN Channel 12
Police: Violent Crime Down In Milwaukee
MPD Releases Crime Statistics Tuesday
