MILWAUKEE — The 191st homicide of 2021 reported in Milwaukee broke the city's homicide record on Monday. Less than half of those homicides resulted in an arrest, 620WTMJreports.
According to the Milwaukee Police Department’s (MPD) official crime tracker, 191 homicides had been committed this year as of Tuesday. The city recorded a total of 190 homicides in 2020 - a record for the city which has now been broke - and a total of 97 homicides in 2019.
Assistant Chief of the Milwaukee Police Department, Paul Formolo, said that the number is actually higher, according to WTMJ.
“The number is now 192, unfortunately,” Assistant Chief Formolo said Tuesday afternoon.
According to MPD, just 47% of those homicides have resulted in an arrest, WTMJ reports.
“Historically, we’re able to sustain anywhere between 70 to 80 percent clearance rate for homicides,” Assistant Chief Formolo told WTMJ. “Obviously, this 47 percent clearance rate we have is unacceptable.”
The violence is so common in this city that many shootings go unsolved. Assistant Chief Formolo told WTMJ that in order to reduce homicides and arrest more perpetrators is communication and cooperation between witnesses and people who have information about the crimes.
I-Team Coverage on Milwaukee Crime:
- 50 retaliatory shootings tied to one homicide, MPD says
- New MPD Point & Aim reports show disparity where officers draw their guns
A number of other crimes are also up this year. MPD's database shows 470 recorded rapes so far this year, compared to 461 during the same period last year. 1,989 robberies were recorded so far this year, compared to 1,980 during the same time last year. And MPD reports 7,149 aggravated assaults so far this year, compared to 6,889 during the same time last year.
And motor vehicle thefts have skyrocketed, with police recording 10,029 so far this year - compared to 4,120 last year.
The only number that didn't rise is for burglaries, with MPD recording 2,687 so far this year, compared to 3,307 during the same time last year.
Common Council President Cavalier Johnson — who's set to become acting mayor — is dealing with the harsh reality of the crisis.
"We had a very violent weekend in Milwaukee," said Johnson. "This is the time of year that folks should be thinking about wrapping Christmas presents, or watching the Packers play. Instead, now folks are going to have to live with their family members killed or shot. We've had generational poverty and generational poverty will yield to generational violence. You've got too many, especially young men of color, who think that once they reach a certain age, they're supposed to be expired."
Johnson says the city needs to improve violence prevention, education and gun control.
He also says Milwaukee needs to the get to the root of the problem and stabilize struggling families.
During his swearing-in ceremony as chief last month, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffery Norman addressed the rise in crime, saying "We're coming together on this from the faith-based, to our community partners. Our police department is standing very tall with those who are saying we want our streets back. For those who engage in reckless driving, beware because that is not going to be acceptable behavior in this city."
