Milwaukee police seeking community support to reduce youth involvement in violent crime

Milwaukee is making progress with reducing violent crime, but the city’s 100th homicide of the year highlighted a concerning recent trend for the police department.

On Monday, 17-year-old Javontae Davis was killed in a shooting on the city’s north side. Police chief Jeffrey Norman said his officers are seeing more children and teenagers involved as victims and suspects in crime.

Overall, homicides in Milwaukee have declined since 2022, but Chief Norman is calling on the community to intervene and prevent youth from getting involved in criminal behavior.

He spoke to WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” about the trend in youth crime and efforts to keep firearms out of the hands of teenagers.

The following was edited for clarity and brevity.

Rob Ferrett: What kinds of things are you seeing that have you worried about younger people involved in crime?

Jeffrey Norman: One of the things that really gets me worried is that these young ones have their hands on firearms. They’re not going to your local store to buy these. They don’t have the ability to purchase these. These are situations where we as adults can really lean in and find ways to make sure that these particular firearms are not in the hands of youth. 

We’re leaving firearms unattended in vehicles. We’re leaving firearms unattended in our homes. Whether it’s negligent or intentional, it’s unacceptable. And when we see individuals such as our young ones using this for their own means, in regards to their resolution of their conflict out there, it’s really disturbing.

RF: Who do you want to see stepping up to reach out to these kids, to prevent them getting involved in violence?

JN: Anyone who has a heartbeat. There are so many different opportunities, whether you’re in the business community, whether in the education community, whether you are in the media. This is a platform to have these discussions. There are so many opportunities to support our community-based organizations. I know our elected leaders are leaning into this.

So I see this as an opportunity, whether it’s reading a book to a young one, whether it’s mentoring, whether it’s funding some of our community-based organizations. There is no bystander. There’s no wallflowers when it comes to this particular type of work. You don’t have to put on a badge and carry a firearm. There is an opportunity, a platform, for all of us to get involved.

RF: What do you see as the key points of intervention? How do we get there and stop this from happening?

JN: When we talk about parents and guardians, you see your children best. There are resources out there, whether it’s through some of our social agencies or within our schools. The first step is reaching out to intervene before it becomes too far gone.

The second is that, when we are seeing 13-year-olds, 14-year-olds in possession of firearms, that is unacceptable. So we need to understand, are we contributing to the problem? There’s no reason for these particular weapons to be accessible freely.

RF: What do we know about the pipeline that puts these firearms in the hands of people who are too young to legally have them?

JN: I see that there are individuals who go to work and leave their firearms in their vehicles. There are individuals who will possess firearms in their homes and leave it unattended on tables. That’s unacceptable. There are safes. There are locks. We have a lot of organizations that have tools to be able to secure your firearms. 

Kids have been stealing cars as long as I’ve been alive on this earth. That’s not anything different, nor am I saying that’s acceptable, but what is the difference is that there is this accessibility of unattended or unsecured firearms that are in the hands of these kids who are breaking into these cars. 

RF: How well are you seeing the community work together on youth outreach and violence prevention? 

JN: I am so thankful to our community for the response. Whether it’s our elected officials, our community based organizations or our residents, there is so much engagement on this topic now. We do have the collaborations.

Are we where we need to be? No, but we are better than what we used to be. And I know for the Milwaukee Police Department, we are key to being that coordinator in regards to these types of efforts, and continue to bring more who are willing to contribute to this effort.