MILWAUKEE— Some Milwaukee neighborhoods can expect increased police presence in the coming weeks.

The Milwaukee Police Department announced the launch of Operation Summer Guardian on Friday. MPD said the new initiative aims to address gun violence in the city.

Through Operation Summer Guardian, there will be an increased police presence in Franklin Heights, Metcalfe Park, Muskego Way, Old North Milwaukee, Sherman Park, St. Joseph, Uptown and Washington Park.

MPD said it utilized technology— through ShotSpotter— to pinpoint gunfire locations. It recently reviewed data, revealing “disproportionate amount of gunfire activations in specific areas of the city.” The seven neighborhoods targeted in the initiative were selected based on this data, according to MPD.

The seven neighborhoods account for 12% of all gunfire in the city and 10% of all firearm related homicides in the city.

The mission of the program is “to locate and arrest subjects involved in violent firearm related crime in the City of Milwaukee by rapid response to ShotSpotter activations within identified geographical areas.”

MPD said officers in Operation Summer Guardian attended special training; policing will comply with standards of Constitutional Policing and guided by MPD’s Code of Conduct, the department said.

MPD said it will measure the program’s success by reduction in violence as opposed to the number of arrests or stops. 

To learn more about Operation Summer Guardian, click here.