'200 people vs. 2 officers': Police union president responds to weekend spate of street takeovers

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- This past weekend saw several dangerous street takeovers throughout the city of Milwaukee.

They happen when large groups of people, sometimes several hundred, quickly block off an intersection and drive recklessly.

The numbers are so overwhelming that many people are wondering how police can stop them.

At the start of the summer, MPD had a concerted plan to deter and respond to street takeovers.

But they keep happening. The police union says they're too large for officers to break them up at current staffing levels.

Videos on social media show cars doing donuts, people hanging out of windows, fireworks blasting off, and people everywhere. In one video, a person was hit by a car and thrown to the ground.

There were 17 calls to 911 over the weekend for street takeovers, some of them for duplicate incidents.

In all, three people were arrested, four citations were issued, and six vehicles were towed.

MPD has a directed patrol mission to deal specifically with street takeovers.

Back in May, MPD Capt. Phil Simmert told a Common Council committee, "We're hoping to make an example of someone that's engaging in this. So we can say to the public, 'This will not be tolerated.'"

MPD was unavailable for an on-camera interview Monday.

But at the public safety committee meeting back in May, MPD leaders outlined their resources.

• They have 10 squads, two supervisory squads, and two lieutenants are on a rapid response taskforce.
• They're split in half to cover both the north and south sides of the city.
• They also have four tow trucks on hand to help with enforcement and towing.

But that was in May, and police union president Alexander Ayala told us it's a different story now. He said, "You have 200 people vs two officers. That's dangerous within itself."

Ayala has made officer staffing a key focus of a protracted battle with the city over a new labor contract.

But MPD said the takeovers are dangerous regardless of how many officers are available to respond.

Simmert said in May, "They use blocking vehicles which inhibit law enforcement to actually get to them."

MPD says participants communicate via encrypted apps, word of mouth, and handheld radios. They send advance scouts to see if law enforcement is at the chosen location. Many people wear masks to cover their faces, and many of the cars are either stolen or don't have license plates.

They described the takeovers as "chaos." Simmert said, "Shots are being fired, fireworks are being shot at law enforcement officers."

Ayala said officer safety is number one. "That's one of the things we told our officers: 'Everybody is going to wait for backup. No matter how long the call takes.'"

But even with adequate backup, there is still the threat the takeovers could spin even further out of control.

Ayala said, "One incident can lead to another. You get a two-car accident, or someone getting run over for somebody to pull out a handgun and start shooting."

No major injuries were reported over the weekend as a result of the takeovers.