Mayor, MPD chief discuss lower arrest totals at policy forum

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- At a forum Wednesday evening, Jan. 31, Milwaukee officials shared their belief as to why arrests dropped sharply throughout the city last year.

The mayor, police chief, and an alderman participated in a discussion at the Wisconsin Policy Forum's annual meeting.

Arrests were down sharply in 2023, according to research from the Wisconsin Policy Forum, but Police Chief Jeffrey Norman says that's because his officers are being more strategic with their work.

The city leaders said arrests alone do not measure the effectiveness of community policing.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said access to guns is still a problem. "When I look at somebody who is a domestic abuser, you shouldn't have your hands on a gun."

And Norman said, "One homicide is one too many."

So far this month there have been 13 homicides. Last January there were nine. A double fatal shooting this week grabbed recent headlines.

Mayor Johnson said, "People who shouldn't even have their hands on guns, because they're not legally old enough to own them, have their hands on guns. And then unfortunately shoot and kill each other."

The biggest issues remain gun violence and reckless driving, as Alderman Scott Spiker explained. "I do hear in my district all the time and throughout the city just how fed up people are with reckless driving and what can we do about it?"

But city leaders said they're encouraged by a study of 2023's overall crime stats, which showed the number of arrests in Milwaukee was down significantly.

Chief Norman said, "It's about who's doing the most harm and how can we impact those who are contributing to a large number of incidents?"

And he said that approach is getting results. "Crime is going down. There's no doubt about that."

The overall number of crimes committed in Milwaukee dropped by 9% in 2023.

The mayor said it's due to several factors. "It's not just law-enforcement and prevention, it's also education."

Homicides were down 21% last year, overall thefts were down 8%, and motor vehicle thefts were down 23%.

And when pressed about the lower arrest totals, Norman said there are no quotas, there are other ways to measure success. "How many cranes are up in the air? How many people are moving into the city and building a house?"

Another key theme of the panel discussion was the city's packed calendar this coming summer, headlined by the RNC.

Norman said MPD's goal during big events is to not be noticed, to maintain safety while letting the events themselves shine.