An update of the Milwaukee Police Department's 'shoot review' force

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- For the last two years, the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) has tried a new approach to tackling the city’s gun violence.

It happens during their ‘shoot review’ meetings.

The idea was launched back in 2018 and since then, MPD has seen progress.

The massive unpredictability of 2020 has changed this, but their approach is still the same.

Each week, police and other agencies join to talk about the most recent shootings and how to stop them from happening again.

“What we’re trying to do is identify that specific person who’s known to be a violent offender, or that group, or that specific case or venue," Criminal Investigation Bureau Acting Assistant Chief Paul Formolo said.

Numbers from 2018 to 2019, showed a slight decrease.

There were 24 fewer non-fatal shootings, and two fewer homicides.

Efforts of the review board also helped find the man, now charged, with shooting at two kids throwing snowballs at cars in Milwaukee in January.

“By coming together on a weekly basis, we’re knocking down those silos and we’re able to communicate, share information and get solutions together," Formolo added.

The director of the Office of Violence Prevention said the city is seeing increases in family, partner and retaliation shootings.

“The more that we can understand these issues, the more that we can broaden the approach to not only prevent but also intervene in these situations," Reggie Moore said.

But intervention doesn’t just involve law enforcement.

Harvey Ross, a gun violence survivor, believes that violence is a mindset in this country.

“There’s an accountability we have to take for ourselves," Ross said.

Ross is also a member of the W.H.E.E.L. Project.

He said real conversation must happen, on both sides, to stop the crime.

“If we’re going to take it seriously this can’t be just a moment, this has to be an ongoing situation if we really want change.”

According to MPD, in 2018 there were 99 homicides, and 476 non-fatal shootings.

In 2019, there were 97 homicides, and 452 non-fatal shootings.

This year, so far, there have been 94 homicides, and 340 non-fatal shootings.

The department told CBS 58 that 2020 has been different from past years.

They added that in some cases, there were multiple victims within the same incident.