Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) is one of the most prominent area politicians to focus his agenda on Milwaukee crime, and he's eliciting support from U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to help solve the problem.

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) is one of the most prominent area politicians to focus his agenda on Milwaukee crime, and he's eliciting support from U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to help solve the problem.,”

The crime problem in Milwaukee is getting the attention of the federal government as local leaders cite new statistics illustrating the rise of violent crime.

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) is one of the most prominent area politicians to focus his agenda on Milwaukee crime, and he's eliciting support from U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to help solve the problem.

During a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday, Kohl asked Gonzales to look at the problem of crime, specifically in Kohl's hometown of Milwaukee.

Gonzales said he is committed to looking at the situation in Milwaukee, and has already started addressing it. In October, the Department of Justice introduced its Initiative for Safer Communities, which will send experts to 18 cities, including Milwaukee, to study the problem of crime.

"We wanted to study Milwaukee carefully and see what was working and what wasn't working," Gonzales said during the Senate hearing testimony. "And we're going to take that information and hopefully come up with some good ideas that we can share with you and the American people about how to address this issue."

The federal government also awarded Milwaukee and five other cities $2.5 million each in March as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods to combat violent crime. The money will be used to assist law enforcement and work on prevention education and prison re-entry efforts, Gonzales said.

According to Department of Justice spokesman Evan Peterson, some of the 18 cities officials are visiting are not necessarily experiencing an increase in crime.

But Milwaukee isn't on that list.

From 2005 to 2006, the violent crime rate in Milwaukee went up 21.2 percent, said Milwaukee Police Chief Nannette Hegerty during testimony at a Jan. 11 Common Council Public Safety Committee meeting.

"2005 was not an aberration, but rather part of a very unfortunate trend," Kohl said. "Our entire country has been hit hard by a crime wave, and my own city of Milwaukee is no exception."

Kohl said federal funding cuts of the Community Oriented Policing Service program has caused the Milwaukee Police Department to reduce its force by 55 members out of 1,717 full-time officers. The COPS program received $1 million in 2002, but no funding in 2006, Kohl said.

Kohl also said 2,190 fewer FBI agents have been used on traditional crime matters since 2000 because of an increased focus on anti-terrorism measures.

"This decreased federal involvement places a greater burden on our state and local law enforcement communities," Kohl said.

Hegerty said there are many vacancies in MPD, but she was doing the best she could with what she had. However, she said, "we really need more people."

Hegerty did not go so far as Kohl did in placing part of the blame of a lack of officers on the federal government.

The Department of Justice teams investigating crime throughout the 18 cities will "find out what is causing this (crime) increase and (will) determine which crime-fighting efforts are most effective," Peterson said in an e-mail.

Cities may receive more funding as a result of the research.

"If people come up with some good ideas, then perhaps we'll come to the Congress and try to get some more money and provide similar grants to other communities around the country," Gonzales said.

Gonzales will not issue a specific report to Kohl on Milwaukee crime, but is promising to study it.

"I think we're doing a lot, but I'm worried about (crime) too," he said. "You have my commitment. In particular, with respect to Milwaukee, we'll look at it and see what else we can do there."

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