MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Violent crime is down across the city of Milwaukee so far this year. As a 'thank you', on Wednesday morning, nearly 100 public safety teams sat together over a meal and applauded for their work.

"Your work matters. You matter, and the city is better because of you," said Craig Sarnow, Assistant Chief of Police for the City of Milwaukee.

The second annual "Safer Together" week is organized by Safe & Sound, where first responders gathered for breakfast and were recognized for their work in keeping Milwaukee safe.

This comes as we're seeing the nationwide trends of "teen takeovers" come to our area, like the ones at Bayshore Mall and Moody Park. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson stressed that there are things to do this summer, to keep kids productive and safe.

"We are resource rich in this city, and there's an opportunity for every young person to do something to do something positive, and we want to stress that," Safe & Sound's Executive Director Bridget Whitaker shared. "The more information people have access to, the better they can feel safe and take away this idea that we don’t have a safe community."

She recommends calling 414-220-4780 to get in contact with a neighborhood organizer for events and ways to feel safe in your community.

A safe community is what we're seeing right now, according to Milwaukee Police Department data. Nearly all violent crimes are down. The greatest drop are carjackings, down 49%. Thefts are the only increase, at 6%.

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Mayor Johnson hopes that trend continues, as the Department of Community Wellness and Safety currently remains without a permanent leader, "I hope that during this council cycle, we’re able to get that buttoned up and the council takes action for a director. That office is going to be paralyzed if we don’t have someone in the office that can lead it."

Karin Tyler's nomination as director will be discussed once again on Friday during the Public Safety and Health Committee. That'll then go back to the common council for a vote. 

For more resources from Safe & Sound, click here. For more resources from the City of Milwaukee, click here.