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MPD's plan to address youth violence
The Milwaukee Police Department announced the launch of the 2023 Operation Summer Guardian plan to combat violent crime Wednesday, July 5.
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Police Department announced the launch of the 2023 Operation Summer Guardian plan to combat violent crime Wednesday, July 5.
The launch comes after a string of gun violence in the days around the Fourth of July – during which more than a dozen people were shot, including teen boys who were killed. MPD said it has seen an increase in youth victims and suspects involved in violent crime, and this year’s plan will have a renewed focus on curfew enforcement and parental responsibility.
"I wish we could say we had a weekend free of violence. Unfortunately that is not the case," MPD Chief Jeffrey Norman said. "We have been seeing an increase in youth victims and suspects involved in violent crime. It's everyone's responsibility to be a positive example for our children."
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"You have to get them when they first slip before they trend into a probably more destructive path," said resident Anthony Troupe. "It took for me to spend time behind bars to actually reevaluate my priorities."
MPD first launched Operation Summer Guardian last year. Prior to launching this year's effort, MPD said it convened with the Medical College of Wisconsin, who completed an analysis of the initiative from 2022.
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MPD Operation Summer Guardian 2.0
The Milwaukee Police Department announced the launch of the 2023 Operation Summer Guardian 2.0 plan to combat violent crime Wednesday, July 5.
MPD said it incorporated key recommendations from the college's feedback – including a focus in hotspot areas. The department said it also enhanced community feedback throughout the process, includeing a pre-deployment survey and a post-deployment survey. Based on the analysis, MPD said there will be an increased police presence to address the violence in 27 neighborhoods within five different police districts:
- Amani
- Arlington Heights
- Borchert Field
- Fairfield
- Forest Home Hills
- Franklin Heights
- Hampton Heights
- Historic Mitchell Street
- Lincoln Creek
- Lincoln Village
- Metcalfe Park
- Midtown
- Muskego Way
- North Division
- Old North Milwaukee
- Roosevelt Groove
- Saint Joseph’s
- Sherman Park
- Silver Swann
- Sunset Heights
- Thurston Woods
- Triangle North
- Valhalla
- Wahl Park
- Walker’s Point
- Walnut Hill
- Washington Park
FOX6 News asked Norman if the operation proved to limit gun violence based on last summer's results. He said he would get back to us with that analysis. The department continues to seek feedback on how to improve Operation Summer Guardian.