'It hits at the heart': Juvenile shooting and carjacking arrests on the rise in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee police stats find overall violent crime has declined so far this year, but there's been a sharp increase in arrests of juvenile suspects on serious charges.
Police on Tuesday released report data for the first three months of 2023. While homicides and car thefts were down from last year's pace, Chief Jeffrey Norman said he was disturbed by a rise in the number of carjacking incidents, and especially how many of those suspects were young, first-time offenders.
"The most problematic about those we're seeing involved in these activities, [they] have no record," Norman told reporters. "This is very disturbing."
CBS 58 requested specific arrest numbers for juveniles for the first quarter of this year, as well as those numbers for the previous two years.
Those stats reveal a sharp increase in the number of young people being arrested for shootings, as well as being shot.
Milwaukee police recorded one juvenile homicide victim in the first quarter of 2021, then five in 2022. This year, that number was seven. In non-fatal shootings, that number has doubled, going from 13 in 2021 to 25 this year. When tracking victims, MPD defines juveniles as people 17 years old and younger.
The trend has continued into April. A review of MPD media updates found nine gunshot victims since April 9 who were 19 years old or younger. Police said each of those victims were expected to live.
In terms of arrests, the most dramatic increase was in homicide cases. In the previous two years combined, MPD arrested one juvenile homicide suspect. This year, police have arrested nine juveniles on homicide charges. In arrest cases, police consider juvenile suspects to be anyone 16 years old or younger, because under Wisconsin law, those 17 and older are charged as adults.
For non-fatal shootings, juvenile arrests have nearly tripled over the last two years, going from four in 2021 to 11 this year. Juvenile arrests for carjacking have quadrupled; police made five such arrests in 2021 compared to 20 this year.
Reversing the trend
When Norm McGee heard the numbers illustrating the rise in juveniles being shot, as well as arrested for violent crimes, he said he took it personally. McGee serves as program director for the Neighborhood House of Milwaukee. Before that, he spent more than 20 years at the Boys and Girls Club.
"I spent my life working with young people, trying to show them positive ways and make positive choices," he said. "When I see a young person who is ruining their life by doing something as reckless and stupid as that, it hits at the heart."
The Neighborhood House runs an 11-week teen program in the summer. It aims to keep about 50 teens occupied all day long, going from 7 a.m., until at least 5 p.m., but includes Summer Stars basketball events that go well into the evening.
The facility includes a dedicated teen longue, featuring a pair of TVs, a pool table, video game systems and board games. A relatively new addition is a 'mindfulness room,' where teens can calm down or just have a quiet place to think.
With jarring numbers on juvenile crime so far this year, I'm checking in with Neighborhood House of Milwaukee.
— A.J. Bayatpour (@AJBayatpour) April 19, 2023
They're prepping their 11-week summer teens program. Here's one of the newer additions: a mindfulness room pic.twitter.com/4cPOK5FgCh
McGee said some of the other newer options for teens are a cooking class and a teen-driven podcast. The goal is to teach new skills, but also give teens a place to be candid and drive those conversations themselves.
"Pick a topic, and they can talk through it," McGee said. "Just have their views and spread the word, peer to peer, and talk about topics that are affecting them."
While the Neighborhood House is trying to enroll teens for this summer, McGee said the nonprofit was also looking for more adults to get involved. In particular, he was hoping to bring in adults who've previously been involved in the justice system as juveniles, as well as successful professionals to share of their skills.
"Someone other than their parents, a lot of times, telling them, 'Do right, I believe in you,'" McGee said. "You can have fun, you can do good things, you can make positive choices."
It costs $75 to enroll in the Neighborhood House's teen summer program, which is open to those between the ages of 13 and 19. However, McGee said there were other ways for families to send their children if they couldn't afford the fee.
"We would never turn a kid away because of funds or money," he said. "They can volunteer some time or work it off."