Special to the Tribune

The state's highest law enforcement officials met at Sensenbrenner Hall Thursday afternoon for "Top Cops," an event which discussed the increased crime rates in Milwaukee, its underlying factors, and present and future strategies to combat it.,”

The state's highest law enforcement officials met at Sensenbrenner Hall Thursday afternoon for "Top Cops," an event that discussed the increased crime rates in Milwaukee, their underlying factors and current and future strategies to combat them.

The panel featured Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, U.S. Attorney Steve Biskupic and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm. Mike Gousha, distinguished fellow in law and public policy at the Marquette Law School, hosted the panel.

The problems

Milwaukee-area hospitals treated 800 people last year for gunshot wounds, Chisholm said. He said they occur in the same densely concentrated areas where drugs and armed robberies are more common, and often the crimes are committed by the same people.

"Obviously it's a huge problem," Van Hollen said. "But I think beyond statistics it becomes a greater problem."

Milwaukee is the driving hub of the economy and social life in Wisconsin, Van Hollen continued, and making it a safer place ought to be a top priority.

"We've reached a point where, I believe, the tide has to turn," he said.

Biskupic said the murder rate is independent of other violent crime trends, in part because of the proliferation of guns.

He said statistics show that those most likely to engage in shootings have a previous felony offense and possess a gun illegally. Whereas people 50 years ago might have had a fistfight in a bar, this generation might use a gun, he said.

Chisholm said education is a significant demographic factor in the tendency toward violent crime. Schools in areas with higher crime rates have the highest truancy and lowest immunization rates, he said. He also warned that crime is likely to spill over to more affluent areas and residents must take an active role in their community. He urged those people to keep hope and not move away, and to work with law enforcement to help solve the issues.

Some solutions

One strategy implemented by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was the "Broken Windows" approach, which enforces very strict penalties on low-level crimes in hopes of discouraging people to escalate to violent crimes.

Van Hollen said the drawback of this strategy is that it may remove graffiti artists but leaves homicidal criminals on the streets. He stressed that the worst offenders are the most important people to incarcerate and remove from the public.

Chisholm said police cannot simply throw the book at every offense because they need to build trust with the community in order to be able to get information about the worst offenders, who are the primary and most dangerous contributors to violent crimes.

Biskupic said trying violent offenders in federal courts with higher penalties will not deter crime by itself because many criminals who have been tried and imprisoned through the state courts and are "revolving through the system" don't expect such heavy federal penalties. The best action to take against violent crime is to enact gun restrictions, improve employment opportunities and increase punishments altogether, he said.

Van Hollen said not enough tax money was going to the Milwaukee Police Department. The attorney general's office, largely associated with public safety, receives less than 1 percent of the state budget, he said.

"I don't think there is any more significant role for government, at least state government, to play than public safety," Van Hollen said.

He said he does not propose an increase in taxes, but rather better distribution of the tax money.

Chisholm advised police to implement data-based strategies. For example, he said because 15 percent to 20 percent of all homicides in 2005 occurred at or near a tavern, sending police to patrol taverns where violent acts have been more likely to occur is likely to be a very effective strategy. Additionally, he suggested that an incentive program for tavern owners who report occurrences or near-occurrences to police would reduce the likelihood of a violent outbreak.

Nabbing the few criminals who contribute so much to the crime rates, combined with enacting long-term solutions, will have a very positive impact for the community, he said.

"Ultimately, it comes down to rebuilding neighborhoods, actually developing a sense of community again and developing a linkage where we're communicating with each other – not just with law enforcement, but with the people in the community," Chisholm said.

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