Milwaukee firearm thefts: Police roll out Operation Save-A-Casing

MILWAUKEE - From the moment police show up to a crime scene, evidence is collected. In the case of shootings, that evidence is shell casings – if any can be found. But if police don't have anything to compare those casings to, then it can be hard to track what fired that bullet – and who.

On Thursday, July 7, the Milwaukee Police Department launched a new initiative to address the increase in firearm thefts from vehicles and residential burglaries. It is called Operation Save-A-Casing.

"The program itself is completely voluntary," said Capt. Phil Simmert of the Milwaukee Police Department.

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. 

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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. 

"Those casings could potentially be linked to a crime, if that gun was used in a crime," Capt. Simmert said.

If you report your weapon is stolen, the casings are entered into a national database to help investigators trace where firearms came from, when they were taken, how they were used, and hopefully tie them to suspects.

"I think it’s a good step on the part of Milwaukee," said Barry Reynolds, Cardinal Stritch University Criminal Justice Professor.

Reynolds says an officer never like to take a report of a car or house being broken into – and a gun stolen.

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"That creates a whole string of problems," Reynolds said. "Hopefully they’ll get some voluntary compliance from people and the key to stopping this."

Each district has Operation Save-A-Casing envelopes.