Wauwatosa trend; more guns confiscated, not all because of criminals
WAUWATOSA, Wis. - In the last three years, the number of guns confiscated by the Wauwatosa Police Department has risen drastically. Police say the guns are not just being taken from people who should not have them. Oftentimes, legal gun owners are making irresponsible decisions.
"We’ve seen that increase since 2020. Is it pandemic related? I don’t know," Wauwatosa Police Captain Shane Wrucke said. "I wish I had the answer because maybe we could do something about it, but I don’t know."
Wauwatosa Police Captain Shane Wrucke
In April 2023, a couple was stopped after a report of shots fired. Body camera footage shows the encounter between Wauwatosa Police and Michael Riser. Investigators say an officer found a gun on the front passenger seat of the Lexus SUV.
During the stop, the officer asked, "Was that fired at all?"
Riser answered, "No, it shouldn’t. No."
Investigators say evidence told a different story when they found two fired casings inside a revolver. Officers say Riser fired at a vehicle after his new car was egged.
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"You just saw some rage and let that get the best of you, honestly," an officer said during a police interview.
Riser was charged, and his gun was taken away. It was put into evidence at the Wauwatosa Police Department.
Detective Evidence Technician Michael Romeis is often the first to have a look at a weapon at the department.
"There’s a serial number here on the base of the firearm," he said while inspecting a gun.
The weapons are put into a machine that covers them in a type of glue. Then they are dusted for fingerprints.
"In the last couple of years, it’s been a lot more because we’ve had an increase in the amount of guns recovered," Romeis said.
Detective Evidence Technician Michael Romeis
In 2020, Wauwatosa Police took possession of 79 firearms. The next year, that number shot up more than 73% to 137 guns. As of May 2023, 69 guns have been recovered. That’s about 56% higher than at the same time in 2022.
"It’s not just the guns we’re taking off the street from people prohibited from carrying them. It’s also legal gun owners who are making irresponsible decisions," Captain Wrucke said.
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The police department currently has so many guns, its property room had to be expanded to fit all 346 firearms inside.
"A big part of what we want to do is educate the public," Wrucke said.
Police may not know yet what’s causing the increase, but they do know they want to fix it.
"The more information, hopefully, the better decisions they’ll be able to make," Wrucke said.
Wauwatosa police say the guns in their possession are either destroyed or sometimes returned to legal gun owners if there was no wrongdoing.