December Bloody December

It's been especially snowy in Milwaukee this December.

It's also been bloody.

On Monday night, there were two more homicides.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Two people were killed Monday night in separate shootings on Milwaukee's north and northwest sides, police said.

Around 9:20 p.m., a 19-year-old man was shot inside his apartment in the 4900 block of N. 55th St., Lt. Chad Wagner said.

At about 11 p.m., another 19-year-old man was found shot to death in the 2400 block of W. Auer Ave., Wagner said.

...Monday's shootings would be the 102nd and 103rd homicides of the year in Milwaukee.

In the past two weeks, an elderly pastor, a pizza delivery driver and son of a prominent radio host have been killed by gunfire. Arrests have been made in all of those homicides.

Milwaukee has had 103 homicides so far in 2007.

As of December 11, New York City has had 457 murders.

The city is on track to have fewer than 500 murders this year _ the lowest number of homicides recorded since reliable police record-keeping started in 1963. There were 457 murders reported as of Dec. 11 _ about 16 percent fewer than reported at this time last year, according to police statistics. Rapes, robberies and burglaries were also down so far this year, and felony assaults were holding steady at about 16,200 for the past two years.

New York City's homicide rate reached an all-time high of 2,245 in 1990, making it the murder capital of the nation. Since then, the rate has plummeted, and experts attribute the decline in part to the police department's CompStat program, which tracks crime statistics on a daily basis.

Officials also credit the drop in crime to moves made by NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly to put nearly two-thirds of all graduating police in areas known to have more crime, instead of splitting them evenly throughout the precincts.

A person is much more likely to be murdered in Milwaukee than in New York City.

New York is on course to record its least number of homicides since 1963. The same can't be said for Milwaukee, not even close.

The nation should be made aware of Milwaukee's updated image. It's not just beer, brats, and bowling. Add murder.

That small town feel in a big city doesn't really apply to Milwaukee anymore, unless the small town feel includes crime, murder, and shooting plagues.