Crime rises in Milwaukee, police sense change in community: ‘Not normal’

milwaukee – Milwaukee end of October. Sergeant Christopher Jackson is starting his shift at the Milwaukee Police Department 7th District on Fond du Lac Street. FOX6 News has joined Sgt. Jackson gets on a police car and starts patrol.

The night begins quietly, but does not last long. Sergeant Jackson receives a call from a reckless driver. We pull up to see the wrecked Kia. The driver and passenger are gone. Not long after I left the scene, I received another call. This time, the car was stopped to change the window tint, but police eventually arrested the driver.

Then suddenly two squads were stripped from the alley to go to another call.MPD said it was normal. Cops are always waiting for the next call.

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“We’re definitely seeing an increase in crime,” Jackson said.

Statistics back it up. In 2020, 190 people died in homicides. In 2021, that number will rise to 193, and so far this year he has killed more than 200 people in murders. Milwaukee is on pace to set a new murder record for the third year in a row.

These are more than just numbers for Sgt. Jackson. His father was a Milwaukee police officer and Sherman grew up in his Park area. Like his father, Jackson chose to support his family in the city where he lived. That puts him in the minority, with 42% of MPD officers living in the city, and the remaining 58% of him living outside the city. This rule changed when the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in 2016 that Milwaukee could not enforce the residency requirement.

Living here, Jackson feels a change.

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“It’s not normal to sit and listen to gunshots, it shouldn’t be normal,” Jackson said.

When asked how to fix it, Sgt. Jackson’s answer is he is one. He wants police and communities to interact in the same way he did when he was growing up.

MPD Officer Residence Data

“As a kid, you used to chase police cars saying, ‘I got a baseball card!?’

Now the interaction resembles what we saw at the end of the night: an SUV crashing into a tree. The driver stepped into the gas and the exhaust was filling the air. Sergeant Jackson backed up, so we didn’t come under fire. He told us to stay in the car while he rushed to the SUV. He yelled at the driver to take his foot off the accelerator. The neighbors were awakened by the noise. A boy is heard talking to Sergeant while the other squads arrive. Jackson, “Don’t Take Mommy To Jail” The 5-year-old knows the sad reality of what happens next.

Sergeant MPD.Christopher Jackson hugs boy after crash

Back in District 7, Sergeant. Jackson gets to work writing the report. It’s a mentally and physically demanding job for him. He’s not the only one striving for a brighter tomorrow.

Pastor Micaiah Young uses her voice to create change. Members of his congregation at Life Center Church are experiencing an increase in crime each day. Young said Milwaukee needs to acknowledge that most of what we see is systemic. He adds that many are traumatized by poverty, lack of education and violence.

“I know what it’s like to come from a broken family, or from poverty if you will, but what helped me was the positive attitude I got from the whole community. It’s an enhancement,” Young said.

The process has to start under your own roof, Young said.

“Invest in your home. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your grandchildren. What they want most is love and acceptance.”

Two things that are hard to find, as Young said many have to overcome the labels attached by those in power.

“They lump them into one category and dehumanize them. But they are individuals with stories and experiences and potential. I am,” Young said.

Young believes Milwaukee is being neglected, and young people are being neglected. He said there will be infections statewide until those two things are fixed.

An infectious disease that spreads to distrust of police officers. Sergeant Jackson wants to remind people that he is human too. “Sometimes when people have an image of a police officer, they have that anger and think I’m ready to do something,” Jackson said. is your neighbor and the reason I’m here is to try to make things better.”

Sergeant MPD.Christopher Jackson

Taking Milwaukee forward into brighter days is the Sgt. Jackson badge. “I hope your area is protected, and I hope it’s somehow better protected by the people out there. Make it a better place,” Jackson said. rice field.

Jackson said this wasn’t the Milwaukee he grew up in.

“I think this is a different Milwaukee. It’s a little more reckless than it has been in years past and the recklessness needs to stop,” Jackson said.

Several organizations work with young people in Milwaukee.they include Kids Matter Co., Ltd.. Pathfinderand the Boys and Girls Club of Greater MilwaukeeInterested parties are encouraged to use other city resources such as shelters, hotlines and other programs.