Again, Crime and Some Possible Solutions

The past week or so has been bad for crime in the city of Milwaukee. We were excited about the Milwaukee Bucks being in the second round of the NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics. We had just played and loss game six with a sold-out crowd inside the arena and a large crowd outside on the deer district outdoor area. Later, in three separate shootings in the downtown area twenty-one people were wounded and taken to hospitals. Over eleven people were arrested, and ten guns recovered. The incidents made the national news and did not put Milwaukee in a good light. What can be done to help get this situation under control or make it better? Here are some ideas I have if I was in control.

First, we need the police, citizens and government officials all involved to make this work. The police department needs to start back their CompStat meeting every week to concentrate on crime in each district. The chief puts the district captain on the hot seat in front of everyone asking him/her what they are doing about crime in their district. You need to have a plan about what you are doing to cut down the crime rate in your area. This makes you responsible and keeps you on your toes if you do not want to be embarrassed.

You need a strike team to deal with these crime trends. I would take one squad from each district and have seven cars to roam and deal with crime problems throughout the city. This is desperately needed to deal with issues in real time. In addition, I would get a large patrol wagon to roam the northside and one to roam the southside. They would work on overtime with two to three cars with each wagon to pick up juveniles who were out after curfew. We did this several years ago and took the kids to the Boys and Girls Club and held them to the parents could come and pick them up. The kids would get a citation and the parents would get a citation also for allowing their kids out after curfew.

I would put out bait or decoy cars to jail some of our kids who like to steal cars. Once inside the car, it would start and drive a few feet before the doors and windows locked. They would then wait to be arrested. The PAL (Police Athletic League} needs to be started back so cops and kids can get together and develop some trust with sports and other activities. Lastly, I would hire some retired homicide detectives to work on unsolved homicides with some of the federal money we have received. The homicide clearance rate is 50% so many people are getting away with murder.

These are just some thoughts I have and some I have mentioned before in other articles I have wrote. Everything should be on the table to be considered.