Crime and Safety

Security is important to all of us, homeowners and renters, women and men, the young and the old.

Photo by Sura FarajAs a city, we need to ensure that the police have the tools and staff to operate effectively. We need criminal background checks to extend to gun purchases from unlicensed dealers and individuals (who sell about half of all guns in Wisconsin). For the long term, however, it’s critical that we approach the reduction of crime from the front end, by addressing the causes. We cannot expect the police to fully put a stop to crime anymore than we can expect firefighters to eliminate fire, though both have a critical role to play in reduction efforts.

Societal factors that contribute to high crime levels are myriad and often stem from a combination of problems. They include poverty, poor education, peer pressure, lack of family and social safety nets, lack of jobs and opportunities, drug addiction, etc. To address these issues is complicated and there are no easy bandaid solutions. But it’s clear that we need a multi-pronged approach.

Accessible education and jobs are of paramount importance, of course. So are drug rehabilitation opportunities, and engaging people meaningfully in their communities.

I have hopes that the pilot program (Milwaukee’s Safe Streets Initiative) being implemented by the MPD and the DA’s office will begin to do just that, by providing people charged with minor drug offenses a chance to stay out of jail and connect to potential employers, counselors, clergy, neighbors and others who can help them get on a different path.

I hope to bring some of these people and resources into our community. I also support a Community Justice Center in the 3rd District. These efforts would go hand-in-hand and could allow for community-driven conflict and dispute resolution, in addition to giving people with non-violent offenses the support they need to be more responsible neighbors.

Additionally, the city can take steps to encourage resident participation in how we are policed, for example by creating an independent, elected Civilian Review Board of the Fire and Police Commission and by maintaining police district lines that keep neighborhoods together and support their collective voice (new police redistricting lines show Riverwest divided down Center Street, putting one half in MPD’s 5th District and one half in MPD’s 1st District).

The community should be engaged as much as possible, and two-way communication between police and residents should be encouraged. The community, ultimately, should set the standards. I believe that organized residents and strong neighborhood associations help to deter crime. An article by Ken Leinbach in a recent Urban Ecology Center newsletter offers a hint at that. “A study conducted by the University of Sussex involved over 100 communities ranging from inner city neighborhoods to rural villages. Across the board it was clear that neighborhoods with the highest levels of volunteerism had less crime, better schools and healthier residents.”

Engaging in your local community in whatever way you can will make a difference. Part of that could include innovative thinking on how to effectively address the root causes of crime. I look forward to your input.

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