Crime and Safety meeting; Milwaukee Police District 7 hears concerns

MILWAUKEE - Crime continues to be a top priority for many Milwaukee voters ahead of the general election this spring.

About two dozen people attended a Crime and Safety meeting hosted by Milwaukee Police Department District 7 on Monday night, March 18, with many bringing with them issues they’ll be taking to their polling places.

Annette Brown said she couldn’t miss the meeting after bullets flew on her block a week ago.

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"Y’all response time was awful," Brown said. "I’m just going to be realistic with you ma’am, the police department is really low-staffed."

As of Sunday, March 17, police reported 22 homicides this year, with eight of those occurring within District 7.

"It’s frightful and you feel unsafe," Brown said. "The bullet hit my truck and left a bullet hole in my truck. Then another shooting, it was six shots, all went through the outside of my house and hit five more of my walls."

Year-to-date, homicides are up 33% in the district from 2023. However, data shows citywide, homicides are trending down: 45% compared to this same time frame in 2022, followed by drops in theft and arson.

Milwaukee Police Department

"Any homicide is unacceptable but we are working our way down," said police captain William Wilson.

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With other problems, like reckless driving, voters say they will be taking these issues to the ballot box in a few weeks when deciding who at City Hall can make them feel safer.

"We pay taxes here, we own our homes," said resident Channe Skier. "We cut out grass, shovel our snow and we deserve the services, we deserve to be protected."

The spring election is April 2. District 7 will host its next meeting on April 15.