Sometimes it takes a face-to-face connection to make an impact — in this case, the fight against reckless driving.
On Saturday, officers with the Milwaukee Traffic Safety Unit (TSU) were invited to block party in the Grasslyn Manor neighborhood for a listening session.
The officers said they can't do it on their own.
"Really just reinforcing, aside from the things we know, to ask folks in the community to contribute information to use," said Officer Laskey-Castle.
Percy Burt told officers and gathered neighbors that he saw a man "doing 60 mph" down the stretch of 57th where he lives.
"I'm afraid to have the grandchildren playing out on the sidewalk," he said.
Burt hopes that the city installs speed bumps along 57th, like it has along 56th Street.
Stories like Burt's help the TSU know where to focus their efforts. Though most of the trouble, said Laskey-Castle, is along bigger roads, like Capitol and Fond du Lac.
The TSU has issued nearly 1,500 tickets this year for speeding more than 25 miles an hour over the limit.
Those violations are on pace to exceed last year's citations for the same aggressive speeds.
"I think these events are really important," said Ron Hull, who joined the session and block party with Burt.
"They [TSU officers] come and they see us. And the two officers who are here today, they live in the community too. And they see this stuff all the time," said Hull.
These simple exchanges, officers and community leaders hope, may help solve a complex problem in Milwaukee.
"They never get a chance to ask questions about how we do it. How we decide to do it. Where we decide to work. So, shedding some light on that, letting them know how important it is to keep telling us about those things," said Laskey-Castle.
