Arrests for reckless driving in Milwaukee rose sharply in 2025, according to data released recently by the Milwaukee Police Department.
MPD recorded 1,047 reckless-driving-related arrests in 2025, up 43% from 734 arrests in 2024, according to departmental data.
“Curbing reckless driving has been one of the pillars of my administration, and we’re starting to see some results,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson during a Jan. 12 news conference to discuss crime statistics for 2025.
Dora Garcia, who lives in Lincoln Village, said reckless driving is still rampant.
“There’s always car chases and crashes in my neighborhood,” she said.
And while the number of arrests went up, the number of citations issued for reckless driving dropped.
Overall, reckless driving citations fell 12% in 2025, dropping from 636 in 2024 to 558. Reckless driving citations involving speeding remained essentially unchanged, with 12,587 issued in 2025, compared with 12,545 the year before, MPD data show.
South Side resident Mike Lopez said when he sees people drive recklessly there’s never law enforcement around to do anything about it.
“There’s no police presence, so people know they can do whatever they want in their cars,” he said.
MPD’s expanded authority
Johnson also discussed progress on a new tool MPD and the city is using – towing the cars of reckless drivers.
In November, Johnson signed a city ordinance that allows officers to tow any vehicle used in a reckless driving offense, regardless of ownership or registration status
From Nov. 5, when the ordinance took effect, through the end of 2025, police impounded 31 vehicles for reckless driving.
“That’s 31 people, 31 vehicles taken off the street, people who don’t have cars to use as weapons against fellow citizens,” he said.
Jeanne Lupo, president of Enough is Enough A Legacy for Erin, said she sees some progress.
The organization was founded in honor of Erin Mogensen, who was pregnant when she was killed by a reckless driver who was fleeing police in 2023.
“I hope it shows that leadership can do something to combat this problem if they want to,” Lupo said.
What lies ahead
A spokesperson for the Milwaukee Fire Department said reckless driving remains a persistent public safety concern.
“We’re still seeing car accidents. We’re still responding to them,” said Lt. Carlos Velazquez Sanchez, the Fire Department’s director of community relations. “I personally believe that we have a lot of people in the city that are driving recklessly.”
On Jan. 12, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley announced $25 million in new federal funding for various traffic safety projects.
He said the money will be used to fund 67 traffic safety projects along 10 of the area’s most hazardous roadways.
The changes are estimated to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes at those intersections and save $1.2 billion in costs from car crashes over a 20-year period, according to Crowley.
“Tackling this serious public safety issue is a collaborative effort,” Crowley said. “I’m grateful to our federal partners for joining us to support our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2037.”
Lopez is skeptical the safety projects will work.
“They spend millions of dollars to put all those concrete barriers and flower pots and all this stuff and people still drive fast. They’re still doing things they’re not supposed to,” Lopez said.
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