Milwaukee police chief highlights crime reduction, safety efforts at Milwaukee Press Club event
Photos by Yvonne Kemp
On Thursday, March 7, 2024, the Milwaukee Press Club and WisPolitics.com hosted their Newsmaker Luncheon with headliner Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman at the Newsroom Pub, 137 E. Wells St. Chief Norman was joined by a media panel which included (top left photo, seated from right) CBS 58’s A.J. Bayatpour; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Elliot Hughes; and Spectrum News 1’s Megan Marshall. Chief Norman addressed violence and safety efforts in the city, and showed who’s really responsible for reducing crime.
“No matter how people may feel about certain things, crime is down. Crime is down,” Chief Norman said. He noted from 2021 to 2022, the city saw a 15 percent reduction overall in ‘part one crimes’ such as homicides, and a 6 percent reduction in violent crimes.
Photos by Yvonne Kemp
“From 2022 to 2023, we saw, again, another 9 percent reduction in part one crimes, 2 percent violent crimes,” Norman added.
But he said efforts to keep those numbers down don’t just fall on the police’s shoulders, especially when it comes to youth violence.
“We want the public to know you have a responsibility in this public safety, and we mean it,” he said.
The chief acknowledged the uptick in youth crime but said it’s nothing compared to the city’s adult criminals, especially those on the roads.
