Though homicides and shootings are down this year through May 20 compared with the same time period last year, there’s always concern about an increase in violence as warmer weather sets in.
The Milwaukee Police Department hopes to prevent that from happening through its annual summer policing initiative, which began on May 21.
Operation Summer Guardian, now in its fifth year, is a citywide initiative aimed at reducing crime, including gun violence, and building stronger relationships between officers and community members by increasing their presence in dozens of neighborhoods.
“(There’s) a proactive component to the mission to deal with firearm offenses, narcotics offenses and quality of life offenses that’s secondary to the community outreach,” said Capt. Andrew Tischer of MPD. “Presence and community engagement is the primary focus of this.”
Neighborhoods of focus
Although citywide, the operation focuses on high-crime areas identified through various sources, Tischer said. Those include: data from MPD crime analysts, the department’s Office of Management Analysis and Planning, input from district commanders and data from ShotSpotter activations. ShotSpotter is a gunshot detection technology that traces the location of gunfire.
Here are 27 neighborhoods that will see additional officers:
- Historic Mitchell
- Muskego Way
- Washington Park
- Walnut Hill
- Midtown
- Cold Spring Park
- Avenues West
- Concordia
- Silver Spring
- Valhalla
- Fairfield
- Thurston Woods
- Old North Milwaukee
- Lincoln Creek
- Roosevelt Grove
- Amani
- Franklin Heights
- Arlington Heights
- Grasslyn Manor
- Sunset Heights
- Sherman Park
- Hampton Heights
- Wall Park
- Borchert Field
- St. Joseph’s
- Uptown
- Metcalfe Park
MPD will provide door hangers and flyers to inform residents in these areas that more officers will be present.
But the areas are not static.
“We can definitely move the areas based on requests,” Tischer said. “For example, last year we saw an uptick in violence in the area of Stark Foods in Hampton, so we’re able to adjust our patrols to that area.”
Community and school resource officers provide support
Community resource officers, district personnel and members of the Specialized Patrol Division will be among the extra officers placed in neighborhoods.
School resource officers will also be a part of these summertime operations for the first time, Capt. Vynetta Norberg said.
They will engage in “low-pressure conversations, maybe pick up a game or two with the youth or just casual conversations with the citizens in Milwaukee in those certain hotspots,” Norberg said.
She said the school resource officers will also hand out resources to those in need and engage with youth they’ve interacted with at schools.
“So that when we go back into school again, we’ll be familiar faces.”
Altogether, residents should expect to see an increase of officers in the double digits, Tischer said. Officers are scheduled to participate in Operation Summer Guardian through September.
Community reaction
South Side resident Miguel Flores said he wants to see police officers where more crime occurs and also at festivals and other places where large groups gather.
“I believe the mayor and police chief need to focus on the major areas of crime and apply officers as need be,” he said.
Homer Blow, a well-known radio host and community voice, said he’s been involved with the Summer Guardian program since the program started. His experiences with it included seeing officers “playing basketball” to “having dance-offs with youth.”
Blow said he sees the interactions between law enforcement and residents as helpful in deterring crime.
“I’ve witnessed the impact it has had over the years in bringing the crime numbers down and bringing community relations up,” he said.
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