MILWAUKEE — A Waukesha County couple is calling for accountability after Milwaukee police took more than four hours to respond to their 911 calls following an SUV break-in and gun theft near Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee.
A spokesperson in the mayor's office confirmed that despite the couple's first 911 call coming in at 12:22 a.m., officers were not dispatched until 4:21 a.m. and arrived at 4:25 a.m. — more than four hours after the initial call.
"Well, considering that we were in downtown Milwaukee, close to a very populated area, close to the new museum, close to the Bucks arena. I expected someone to be there within minutes," the couple said.
The couple, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, says they went out around 8 p.m. for a birthday dinner at a restaurant on McKinley Avenue. When they returned to their SUV, they found the passenger-side window smashed and their belongings scattered inside.
"We went out around 8 pm for my wife's birthday," the couple said.
The one item they say was stolen was a handgun stored in a locked safe placed under the driver's seat. They tell TMJ4 that thieves used a knife found inside the vehicle to break open the safe and take the gun.
"They found the knife and used the knife to break the safe open and get the gun, and they did that," the couple said. "You can see it's bent. It doesn't close anymore.”
Compounding their concerns, the couple found their vehicle registration sitting on the passenger seat — which includes their names and home address.
"Is it a warning? Is it, 'Hey, we know who you are,' the couple said.
After no police response within 30 minutes, the couple says they called 911 again, followed by multiple calls to the non-emergency line. They say they wanted to stay on scene to preserve evidence for the police investigation
When asked whether they inquired about the delay, the couple confirmed they did — multiple times.
"And they kept saying they'll be there as soon as they can, it's a busy night, they'll be there as soon as they can," the couple said.
"We just kept looking at our phones, looking at the clock, saying, 'How much longer do you think it's going to be? Do you think they're not taking this seriously?" the couple said.
The couple wants to know who is to blame — and how it can be fixed.
"I think that a call time, response time of four hours is just completely unacceptable, and it has me concerned for other people in the Milwaukee area and surrounding areas like up, that if they have an emergency, they have a crime that's committed. They're fearful for their safety. Will somebody show up at all?" the couple said.
TMJ4 reached out to the Milwaukee Police Department and Milwaukee's Office of Emergency Management multiple times on Wednesday to find out what led to the four-hour delay. A spokesperson from the mayor's office is the only one to get back to TMJ4 by our deadline — saying it's a question for MPD. We have yet to hear back from the Milwaukee Police Department about this issue — and whether it's under investigation.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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