Milwaukee’s steep rise in crime has been put into focus in a new Crime and Safety Impact Report by Our America. In 2022, for the third year in a row, Milwaukee’s homicide record was broken. “As of Nov. 20, 2022 police data show 194 people have been killed,” Fox6 News Milwaukee reported, “These are not just numbers, but names, 194 of them. Through this deadly 2022, FOX6 News has brought you their stories. … Homicides spiked during the coronavirus pandemic and haven’t come back down. In 2019, there were 97. In 2020, there were 190. In 2021, there were 193. The mayor and police chief again asked for the public’s help, saying they can’t do it alone.”
The spike in violence happened quickly. In the first half of 2023, non-fatal shootings in Milwaukee occurred at nearly double the rate at which they occurred in 2019. From 2019 to 2022, overall crime in Milwaukee increased by 22.6%, with violent crime up 15.6% and property crime up 26%. According to The Badger Institute, “Milwaukee is significantly less safe than it was a short time ago. First, overall reported crime is down from 2021 levels. Part I offenses, the most serious crimes, fell from just over 34,000 to roughly 29,000 — a nearly 15% decline. But that is misleading because 2022’s lower levels are relative to 2021’s abnormally high incidence of crime. In other words, you might lose elevation descending a mountaintop, but you had to climb to get to that altitude. In fact, compared to 2019.” Rapes and robberies are both on the rise as well.
Citizens are also being terrorized by carjackings at an alarming rate as Fox6 News reported. “Carjackings in Milwaukee are up 40% in the first quarter of 2023 compared with the same time in 2022. … It’s a growing problem. Milwaukee carjackings are up 57% when compared with the same time in 2021. In the first quarter of that year, police reported 69 carjackings. In the first quarter of 2022, it was 77, and in the first quarter of 2023, 108.”
As for non-violent crime, motor vehicle theft is among the most prominent. “Of property crimes, motor vehicle theft has continued to climb across the board. Milwaukee ranked number one in motor vehicle theft, according to the report,” said Spectrum News, “This is not surprising, as Milwaukee Police Department data showed that the crime spiked during the pandemic. From 2020 to 2022, car thefts increased 111% in Milwaukee, according to the data.”
This unacceptable rise in Milwaukee’s crime rate highlights the urgent need for change. Our America National Director Gabriel Nadales released the following statement: “The Our America Crime and Safety Impact Report demonstrates what we’ve known for years. Crime has gotten significantly worse since before the COVID-19 pandemic, and not only in places like New York and Los Angeles, but also in smaller profile cities like Tucson, Arizona, Henderson, Nevada, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With this report, Our America seeks to show the public that although the headlines on crime might be dominated by larger cities, it’s happening everywhere.
“High crime rates make it considerably more difficult for people to realize the American dream. Sadly, minority communities in particular are the hardest hit by rising crime rates since they tend to disproportionately suffer from crime as it is. It’s incumbent on state and local governments to establish and uphold safe communities for families and businesses to succeed. We hope that this report and its recommended solutions can help foster safer streets and brighter futures for Americans across the country.
