'Dramatically changed the direction': Milwaukee leaders highlight drop in homicides, credit collaboration

Five years ago, homicides in Milwaukee spiked to levels not seen since the 1990s.

Now, the city has closed out its second year in a row with fewer than 100 homicides — and officials are focused on maintaining that progress.

"I'd like to get to zero in terms of homicide in the city but I think it is important and significant that we have certainly dramatically changed the direction things were going," Mayor Tom Barrett said.

Although it's difficult to untangle what is responsible for Milwaukee’s decline in homicides and shootings since 2015, Barrett has credited the city's collaborative, public health approach as a contributing factor.

"I think the police work, the Office of Violence Prevention work, the community work, particularly the churches and youth groups, all of that, we just keep hammering home how important it is for them to be part of this," the mayor said.

Milwaukee's homicide rate — now about 16.4 per 100,000 people — has continued to decline and so has its ranking among the nation's most violent cities.

Of 11 cities with comparable demographics and socioeconomic factors, Milwaukee had the lowest homicide rate last year and only Milwaukee, Chicago and New Orleans have had consistent declines in homicide rates since 2015, according to the city's Office of Violence Prevention.

"There is no acceptable level of homicide in the city," said Reggie Moore, executive director of the Office of Violence Prevention.

"We have to also acknowledge the progress that's being made and understand that one less life lost or one less life injured to gun violence is valuable and should not be discounted," he said.

Police chief: Shootings, carjackings down

The declining homicide rate is part of an overall downward trend for violent crime in the city, Police Chief Alfonso Morales said.

Not only have homicides dropped to 97 last year from 99 in 2018 and 119 in 2017, but nonfatal shootings have continued to fall.

Last year, 452 people were shot and survived, compared with 476 victims in 2018 and 558 in 2017, according to police data.

Carjackings also have continued to decline, with 346 reported incidents last year, compared to 383 in 2018 and 452 in 2017.

Homicide data from Milwaukee police could change because of ongoing investigations that could determine some killings were committed in self-defense. The Police Department follows the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting system, which excludes homicides involving self-defense, or negligent manslaughter, such as an accidental shooting.

"There's no one person or organization that should credit themselves for the drop in crime," Morales said. "It's a coordinated effort from many."

That effort starts, he said, with the Milwaukee Police Department and local, state and federal law enforcement partners and continues with strong community partnerships across the city.

He also highlighted the Police Department's shoot review model. In weekly meetings, police and their partners — prosecutors, probation officers, federal agencies and more — examine every shooting from the prior week. The goal: solve shootings, stop retaliation.

Academic researchers funnel information about shooting victims to nonprofits that can provide support, like securing food, medical insurance and housing assistance.

"We use data, intelligence and technology and we bring those things together and coordinate with system partners and community partners," Morales said.

Barrett said he has observed the shoot review sessions and considered them "effective."

"I think they're part of the strategy to make sure the Police Department is as successful and effective as it can be," he said.

Last month, U.S. Attorney General William Barr announced Milwaukee was one of seven cities targeted for more federal law enforcement help. Morales said he anticipates that funding to bolster the U.S. Marshal Service, which finds and arrests wanted suspects nationwide.

"If we can identify perpetrators within 48 hours and take them into custody quickly, that's one of the biggest accountability pieces you can have for the community, to see the problem was addressed immediately," Morales said.

Expanding violence prevention efforts

Another key part of the city's overall strategy, Barrett said, comes from the Office of Violence Prevention.

The office houses 414LIFE, a highly-trained team of health workers who try to interrupt disputes before they turn violent and connect with shooting victims in the hospital to offer resources.

The team has responded to 178 gunshot survivors since beginning its work in November 2018, according to Moore.

414LIFE also did community outreach in targeted neighborhoods, Old North Milwaukee and Garden Homes, that saw fewer homicides last year, Moore said.

As the team looks to expand its footprint, it likely will focus on North Division and Harambee, neighborhoods with persistent levels of gun violence, he said.

The office also has initiatives outside 414LIFE, including administering the federal ReCast grant which put about $4 million into community partners and programming in recent years.

Moore said the office will apply for a portion of $40 million in federal grants Congress authorized for community solutions to gun violence. Last fall, he testified before a Congressional subcommittee on that issue.

City leaders acknowledged a persistent perception of rising violence in the city, no matter what their statistics show.

"One homicide is one too many and I am mindful the fact there's too much reckless driving, too many drugs, all those are very real to us," Barrett said.

Contact Ashley Luthern at ashley.luthern@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aluthern.