Canada’s “Most Dangerous City” Calls Milwaukee for Help
Prince George was declared Canada’s most dangerous city for the second year in a row in December of 2011 by Macleans Magazine, based on data from 2009. They didn’t hesitate to call Milwaukee for help.
Milwaukee has seen a steady decline in crime over the last several years. Even with these successes, Milwaukee is no comparison to Prince Georges “crime wave.” If the barometer is homicides, Prince George had zero in 2011 while Milwaukee has had a five year average of 95 homicides and 500 near fatal shootings according the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission. Even though it is a much smaller city, Prince George should count their blessings.
Joe Kubisiak of Safe & Sound was interviewed on the news show “Connect with Mark Kelly.” When asked why Milwaukee was successful at reducing crime he commented that it was all about youth, residents and law enforcement working together to address neighborhood problems. There are many facets to the Safe & Sound strategy and because of its responsiveness is always evolving, but a big part of the strategy can be summed up as better communication, stronger leadership, increased responsiveness, and a stronger sense of community among youth, residents and law enforcement. “With the police department in Milwaukee comprising almost 50% of our budget, the relationship with other stakeholders and resources cannot be adversarial or finger pointing,” explains Kubisiak, “as our Police Chief likes to say, ‘public safety is not a spectator sport.’”
You can view the interview on the CBC, Canada’s national public broadcaster at: Connect with Mark Kelly
