MILWAUKEE — According to recently released data from the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), Milwaukee experienced a 39% drop in homicides from 2022 to 2024.

In 2022, the City of Milwaukee recorded a staggering 215 murders. In 2023, the city had 172 murders. In 2024, that number fell to 132 – the lowest the city has seen in five years. 

Between 2023 and 2024, the city saw a 23% decrease in homicides. 

MPD Chief Jeffrey Norman said that while the decline signaled progress, there is still much work to do.

“Yes, we had double-digit reductions, but it could be even more,” Norman said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon. “Many of those homicides involved kids with handguns, tragically using them against each other. It’s preventable and absolutely unacceptable.”

Despite the promising decline in homicides, other crime categories, including carjackings, auto thefts and robberies, saw increases compared to 2023.

Norman acknowledged the complexity of addressing these trends, noting that the department’s ability to respond is hindered by a staffing shortage.

Another issue dominating the public safety conversation is the role of school resource officers in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Norman stated that discussions with school leaders are ongoing, but Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson expressed frustration with the financial burden falling on taxpayers.

“When you go to a restaurant and order a meal, the chef doesn’t prepare the meal and then pay the bill,” Johnson said. “That’s essentially what we’re being asked to do, and I think it’s wrong for taxpayers and the City of Milwaukee. We will continue working with MPS leadership to get this sorted out.”

Police staffing remains another critical challenge, according to the department. MPD fell short of its recruitment goals in 2024. Under a newly enacted state law, Milwaukee’s state funding is now tied to the city growing its police force over the next decade.

MINNEAPOLIS — There are mixed feelings about a long-awaited agreement between Minneapolis and the federal government to bring reform to the city’s police department.

The city announced Monday it had agreed on a consent decree, or legal agreement, with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Some of the reforms outlined include changes to the use of force policy, limiting military-style tactics during protests, and banning handcuffing children under 14.

City leaders have said a key purpose of the consent decree is to rebuild the community’s trust in the police department.

KingDemetrius Pendleton, a Minneapolis photojournalist, says it will take more than legal documents and policy changes to do that.

“One of the biggest things is communication and listening to the people in the community,” he said. “If you want us to listen to you all [the police] and trust you all, you all have to be trustworthy. [MPD] can make a change, but it starts with being truthful.”

Pendleton also owns Listen 2 Us Studio, a community gallery near George Floyd Square that displays social justice-themed photography and art.

The consent decree process started after a police officer killed George Floyd in 2020, sparking global protests.

A Department of Justice report released in 2023 found that the Minneapolis Police Department engaged in systematic racial discrimination and unconstitutional policing for years.

Pastor Ian Bethel with the Unity Community Mediation Team worked with the DOJ on the consent decree and co-chairs the city’s Police Community Relations Council.

“I was so grateful and tearful today,” he said.

Bethel says real change will come through diligent community oversight.

“Compliance is the key,” he said. “The community’s going to do it, and the community’s given trust to us, because we’re tried and proven.”

The Minneapolis Police Department is also under a court-ordered agreement with the state of Minnesota, so some reforms are already underway.

A judge still has to approve the consent decree.

It’s unclear what will happen if President-elect Donald Trump takes office before then. He’s been critical of consent decrees in the past.

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A local artist has brought a burst of color and culture to the streets of Indianapolis.

A newly painted traffic signal box at U.S. 31 and Edgewood Avenue has turned heads while celebrating Burmese heritage. Designer and painter Yan Yan poured 105 hours into the artwork “Our Enlightenment.” He finished the project in November.

“It showcases different motifs of the Burmese community, especially Indianapolis in the way of cultural practices in Indianapolis,” Yan said.

The Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center supported the artwork as part of its cultural art initiative called the Southdale Traffic Signal Public Art Heritage Project, which features a variety of traffic signal boxes.

“From dances to wresting and also other symbols and instruments as well as cultural motifs like traditional attire,” Yan said.

Each side of the box tells a story and highlights Burmese culture. “The location was actually given to me by the Indianapolis Neighborhood Resource Center, but the location is where the majority of the Burmese population and residents are at.”

Indianapolis has one of the largest Burmese populations in the country, with many in Perry Township on the city’s south side.

Yan says he wants to bring the stories of Burmese refugees to life. He came to Indianapolis as a refugee in 2012. “Now I’m working at a refugee resettlement agency called Exodus Immigration.”

Yan also is selling stickers that celebrate a piece of Burmese cultural artistry. Half of the proceeds will go towards helping Burmese refugees. They’re available at Top Point Royal Cafe, a new Burmese coffee shop on the south side of Indianapolis.