After a week of violence that left eight people dead and nearly two dozen injured, primarily on the north side, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn said Friday that officers had become more visible and engaged with residents and wrongdoers alike.
"Our goal is to disrupt the environment, but disrupt it thoughtfully," Flynn told Journal Sentinel editors and reporters in a lengthy briefing at police headquarters on his department's response to the deadly outbreak of firearms violence.
The toll from Aug. 2 through Thursday: 22 people shot, seven of whom later died from their wounds. One man was beaten to death, bringing the total number of homicides to eight.
Five suspects have been arrested by police in connection with the shootings, and arrests have been made in four of the homicides.
Flynn and Assistant Chief Edith Hudson said they were confident crime will be reduced through the show of strength in north side neighborhoods, accompanied by intensive analysis of crime patterns and suspects; more community policing; redeploying available resources; and increased information sharing among different units of the department.
Two years ago, Hudson said, a similar outbreak of deadly violence triggered a similar police response that resulted in a 67% drop in crime in the affected neighborhoods. Both she and Flynn said they are confident police will see a similar drop this time.
The deployment includes roughly a doubling of officers in high-crime areas roughly north of W. Vliet St. to W. Keefe Ave., and N. 20th west to N. 50th St. It includes units from the department's Neighborhood Task Force, the Major Incident Response Team, analysis by the data analysis center, and more collaboration between detectives and officers on the streets to find and arrest suspects.
The information sharing is happening with a quickened pace.
A key factor, Flynn said, is the systematic targeting of 189 people who have had a history of firearms violence. While some of these people are not necessarily wanted for a crime right now, Flynn said, police are finding them and talking to them. To Flynn, it's a matter of letting them know police are watching; most of them either live or loiter in the 5th District.
"This is about keeping tabs on them," Flynn said. "Stop and question to stop the violence. We have every right to pay attention to your whereabouts."
The 189 were identified by looking through 18 months of data, and identifying people who had at least two firearms offenses in that period.
Capt. Tom Stigler, who commands the high-crime 5th District, said his officers were investigating and arresting what he termed "high-value targets." Police are also locating people on probation or parole; going to homes associated with crimes; serving search warrants; and analyzing ShotSpotter data to find out where the gunfire is occurring.
ShotSpotter is a high-tech set of sensors that detect gunfire and communicate the location immediately to officers on patrol. The system is set up in a relatively small area of the city, but has proven effective in solving crimes, police said.
ShotSpotter has emerged as the key tool in gunfire reports: Only 15% of all gunfire reports are actually reported by residents in the troubled areas, with the rest detected by ShotSpotter.
ShotSpotter analysis, police said, can help officers marry data on where the gunfire occurred with suspects who are nearby.
Visibility on crime-ridden streets also is important, Stigler said. "They walk up and down the block," Stigler said of his officers. "When we are there, nothing is going to happen."
The feedback from residents has been good, said Capt. Chad Wagner.
Police also have conducted street briefings on busy streets involving a large number of officers and have set up mobile command posts.
Stigler said the extraordinary efforts now underway are intended to stop the violence immediately, and help build cases against suspects over a longer period.
"We are going to put these people away," Stigler said.
Police also have assisted victims and residents who have information to share by meeting with them away from their neighborhood, police said.
Copyright 2013 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
