Milwaukee Joins Federal Consortium To Help Reduce Violent Crime

Milwaukee will join 12 other cities across the country in a Department of Justice partnership to reduce violent crime.

The U.S. Department of Justice launched the Violence Reduction Network 18 months ago to encourage cities with high violent crime rates to share resources and strategies that have proven successful. The DOJ added Milwaukee, New Orleans and St. Louis to the mix on Tuesday.

Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn said that could mean a boost in federal dollars for his department.

“We get extra ‘points,’ if you will … for applying for federal grants used to help reduce crime, improve prosecution, assist victims, reduce domestic violence, and so on,” said Flynn.

Flynn said better access to grants could help Milwaukee expand a new trauma-informed care project that involves police officers referring children of victims of violence to treatment services. The goal is to prevent children in violent homes from becoming perpetrators in the future. Flynn said it’s a solid program.

“It’s based on research that certainly indicates that repeated exposure to violence can have an impact on literally the wiring of a young person’s brain,” he said.

Flint, Michigan and Chicago are among the other Midwestern cities that belong to the VRN consortium.