Every family in Wisconsin deserves to feel safe in their own communities. For many people, the sense of safety has changed. They see encroachment and rising crime in the cities. Sometimes a walk to your car does not feel safe anymore, and parents think twice before allowing their kids to play outside. Neighborhoods that once felt predictable, now feel uncertain. This has lead people to wonder whether his was the new normal?
According to the Milwaukee Police Department, homicides rose from 97 in 2019 to 214 in 22, before slightly leveling off in 2023. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Department of Justice reports that aggravated assaults statewide increased more than 30% between 2019 and 2022. Motor vehicle thefts more than doubled.
Over time, people start noticing the change in their communities. The rise of theft and break-ins destroys business and unfortunately helps create food deserts, very similar to what we see in Merrill Park. In Milwaukee from its local TMJ4 news “It’s not safe. I have a family of five, and I can’t even bring them to the tot lot across the street.” And that type of sentiment resonates with many Wisconsinites who feel their neighborhoods are becoming less safe.
Sources like the Wisconsin Policy Forum have repeatedly emphasized the need to modernize the state’s criminal justice system, noting in a 2024 report that staffing shortages, outdated technology, and inconsistent data limit the ability of police to respond efficiently.
On the staffing shortage, there are few policy decisions that have a greater effect on safety than ensuring police offices are staffed with competent officers.
In 2021, a study by Aaron Chalfin and Morgan Williams found that adding 10 to 17 police officers was enough to prevent homicide per year. Similarly, the city of Dallas recently found that concentrating police activity in criminal “hot spots” significantly reduced violent crime. Adding more police officers is not a silver bullet. But the evidence shows it’s one of the government’s strongest tools to protect their communities.
This is not an issue limited to policymakers or law enforcement. Americans consistently say they want safer communities and expect law enforcement to play a central role. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that more than nine-in-ten voters view keeping communities safe as an extremely or very important responsibility of law enforcement.
If we want to keep communities safe, it is time we listen to the communities most affected by crime. They understand the challenges of their community. And that’s why the majority support giving law enforcement the tools they need to do their jobs.
High crime should never be the new normal.
