MILWAUKEE — The second annual Operation Summer Guardian initiative launched Wednesday, the Milwaukee Police Department said.

The initiative aims to combat gun violence by increasing police presence in 27 neighborhoods. The neighborhoods span police districts two, three, four, five and seven.

Neighborhoods with increased patrol include Amani, Arlington Heights, Borchert Field, Fairfield, Forest Home Hills, Franklin Heights, Hampton Heights, Historic Mitchell Street, Lincoln Creek, Lincoln Village, Metcalfe Park, Midtown, Muskego Way, North Division, Old North Milwaukee, Roosevelt Groove, Saint Joseph’s, Sherman Park, Silver Swann, Sunset Heights, Thurston Woods, Triangle North, Valhalla, Wahl Park, Walker’s Point, Walnut Hill and Washington Park.  

These neighborhoods, MPD said, have seen high numbers of “shots fired” incidents. The areas were selected via data analysis from the Medical College of Wisconsin. MCW analyzed data from the 2022 initiative.

MPD said MCW’s feedback included a focus on hotspot areas, developed from ShotSpotter data in congruence with analysis of non-fatal shootings, homicides and shots fired calls.

MPD said it also relied on community feedback via pre- and post-deployment surveys. MPD said it will seek feedback from its intergovernmental and community partners during the program’s run. Furthermore, the department set up a “forum for follow up to ensure our efforts best support the neighborhoods we are serving.”

Operation Summer Guardian will not only focus on gun violence, but is specifically focusing on child safety this summer.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said police will issue citations to parents whose children are out after the city’s 11 p.m. curfew.

Norman said parents should know what their kids are doing at all times.

“There is no such thing as, ‘You don’t have the right to ask.’ As a father, a resident, I implore you to ask,” Norman said. “There's a wide variety of reasons why our young ones are involved in these particular, unacceptable behaviors. We have to come together as a community to ensure we are doing the best thing that we can to not only impact, intervene, but in the end, hold bad behavior accountable.” 

This part of the initiative aims to address the number of teens and young adults involved in shootings and crimes in Milwaukee.

“MPD has seen an increase in youth victims and suspects involved in violent crime. It is everyone’s responsibility to be a positive example for our children. This year’s deployment will have a renewed focus on curfew enforcement and parental responsibility. If your child is out after hours without a valid reason and is involved in an incident, we will cite you. Parents and guardians help us keep your children safe. Know where your children are, and do your part to keep firearms out of the hands of our youth,” the department said in a statement.

Norman said Operation Summer Guardian will give officers and community members opportunities to connect. He said he hopes this encourages people to feel comfortable reporting concerns to police.

MPD response and enforcement strategies will follow the standards of Constitutional Policing, per MPD. The department said officers will also be guided by MPD’s code of conduct. Officers working on the initiative received specialized training to ensure compliance with the Collins settlement agreement. Information on the settlement agreement is available, here. 

For more information on Operation Summer Guardian, click here.