Milwaukee's Brady Street businesses increase security to improve safety

MILWAUKEE - If you go out for dinner or drinks on Brady Street this weekend, you're going to notice something new.

Starting this week, security officers are patrolling the stretch.

What we know:

The Brady Street Business Improvement District hired the team at West Allis-based Prolific Arms to patrol from Farwell to Water.

No tax dollars are being used. The businesses in the area are paying for the bolstered security that will be around almost daily from 6 a.m. through 3 a.m.

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They will be out on the street through November.

The security will not carry guns. They will have pepper spray and tazers. They say their focus is de-escalation and trying to act as community liaisons.

What they're saying:

Theron Rogers is helping to lead a team of security officers trying to keep Brady Street safe.

"We want to be a presence, we want to enhance that sense of community and let everyone know it’s a welcoming community," Rogers said.

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"This is just an extra added bonus for our residents," BID executive director Michael Sander said. "We just want to make sure that everyone realizes this is not the place to come and play around."

Local perspective:

Meghan Simutis has lived on the block for a few months and says more protection is welcomed.

"I think safety could definitely be better," Simutis said. "Even just this week, [there were] two experiences where I was followed, spoken to, touched, just like really weird moments."

This group of guards wants change as they become a part of the community.