The number of drug-related arrests by the Milwaukee Police Department has decreased each year since 2017. (NNS file photo)

This story did a great job of breaking down an issue that concerns Milwaukee’s residents in a way that was fair and digestible.

Sometimes we can notice a pattern without understanding why that pattern exists.

I think Edgar Mendez did a great job of noticing a pattern, working to understand it and then explaining it in a way that people who may not see the pattern can understand.

It was good storytelling and a great use of data that affects our neighbors.

Mendez wrote this story in July but highlighted an issue that remains relevant to Milwaukeeans today.

Read the story here.

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My favorite story of 2023: As overdose deaths rise, drug-related arrests decline by 67% in Milwaukee

by PrincessSafiya Byers, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
December 29, 2023

<h1>My favorite story of 2023: As overdose deaths rise, drug-related arrests decline by 67% in Milwaukee</h1>
<p class="byline">by PrincessSafiya Byers, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service <br />December 29, 2023</p>
<br />
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/45049889552_09df47fe10_k-1024x681.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-92971" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The number of drug-related arrests by the Milwaukee Police Department has decreased each year since 2017. (NNS file photo)</figcaption></figure>
<p>This story did a great job of breaking down an issue that concerns Milwaukee’s residents in a way that was fair and digestible.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-thumbnail"><img src="https://milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/53429161171_ebde000e75_e-1-150x150.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-92972" style="aspect-ratio:3/4;object-fit:cover" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">PrincessSafiya Byers</figcaption></figure>
<p>Sometimes we can notice a pattern without understanding why that pattern exists.</p>
<p>I think Edgar Mendez did a great job of noticing a pattern, working to understand it and then explaining it in a way that people who may not see the pattern can understand.</p>
<p>It was good storytelling and a great use of data that affects our neighbors.</p>
<p>Mendez wrote this story in July but highlighted an issue that remains relevant to Milwaukeeans today.</p>
<p><a href="https://milwaukeenns.org/2023/07/06/special-report-as-overdose-deaths-rise-drug-related-arrests-decline-by-67-in-milwaukee/">Read the story here.</a></p>
<p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2023/12/29/my-favorite-story-of-2023-as-overdose-deaths-rise-drug-related-arrests-decline-by-67-in-milwaukee/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org&quot;&gt;Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-NNS-Favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p>
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My favorite story of 2023: As overdose deaths rise, drug-related arrests decline by 67% in Milwaukee

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PrincessSafiya ByersStaff Reporter