Violent Crime in Milwaukee Drops 19%

This is good news, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Crime in Milwaukee dropped significantly in the first six months of the year, including more than 19% in violent offenses such as homicide, robbery and aggravated assault, according to data released Monday by the Police Department.

Though clearly pleased, Police Chief Edward Flynn said no one’s claiming victory just yet.

...Property crimes showed a far less dramatic decline, mostly due to a 9.1% rise in burglaries, but overall, major crimes were down 4.5% compared with the first half of 2007.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said the numbers show the city’s headed in the right direction but that there is more work to do.

“There are still far too many shootings, and too many neighborhoods continue to be plagued by crime,” he said in a prepared statement. But he expressed confidence in Flynn’s approach, and asked “all neighborhood residents to get engaged in the fight against crime on every block.”

This is encouraging.

Flynn's approach is working. He's getting results, making progress.

I like the fact that Flynn isn't claiming victory, problem solved. It's an ongoing battle against the thugs and the police chief understands that. The good guys have to be relentless in their fight to defeat the bad guys.

And certainly, if you were a victim of a crime or know a victim, that 19 percent drop means absolutely nothing.