Car thefts increase in Milwaukee, police warn of RNC

WE CONTINUE TO MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. IN THEIR QUARTERLY UPDATE OF CRIME STATISTICS, MILWAUKEE POLICE SAYS THEY’RE SEEING A DECLINE IN MOST CATEGORIES, BUT NOT IN AUTO THEFT. SO FAR THIS YEAR, POLICE HAVE RESPONDED TO 236 AUTO THEFT CASES. THAT’S COMPARED TO 215 IN THE SAME TIME FRAME IN 2023, AND 187 IN 2022, SAYS CHIEF JEFFREY NORMAN. IN SOME CASES, TEAMS FROM ILLINOIS TRAVEL TO MILWAUKEE AND HAVE TARGETED HIGH-VALUE VEHICLES. THIS IS A CRIME OF OPPORTUNITY. AGAIN, CAR THEFTS ARE A CRIME OF OPPORTUNITY. ONE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES IS THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION WHICH IS ATTENDED BY THOUSANDS FROM EVERYWHERE. I AM THE DELEGATE FROM GUAM, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY COMMISSIONER AND A MEMBER OF THE PLATFORM COMMITTEE THAT IS TURNING TO MILWAUKEE RIGHT NOW. AND I AM THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE’S WIFE FROM THE NORTHERN MARIANAS. ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING TO MONITOR THAT? OVER THE NEXT WEEK OR SO, THERE ARE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COMING TO CITY. THAT IS OF COURSE A CONCERN IN THAT RESPECT. THIS IS A MAJOR EVENT THAT ATTRACTS OTHERS. BUT THIS IS NOT JUST LIMITED TO THIS PARTICULAR EVENT OR THIS PARTICULAR AREA. IT’S ALL OVER OUR CITY. NORMAN SAYS THE CAR THEFTS ARE TARGETTING VICTIMS WHO ARE DISTRACTED OR STANDING IN THEIR CARS WAITING AND ASKED VISITORS AND LOCALS TO BE ALERT. PUT YOUR PHONE OFF. YES, THAT’S WHAT I SAID. PUT YOUR PHONE OFF. BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. HANNAH. HAVE THE CAR THEFTS TARGETTING A PARTICULAR PART OF THE CITY? TODAY’S BOSS, KIRSTEN, SAYS WE’RE OBVIOUSLY SEEING SOME OF THESE PROFILE DISCOVERIES HAPPENING IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. BUT HE SAYS THAT THEY HAVE THE WHOLE CITY IN THEIR TARGET RIGHT NOW. SO THAT’S GOOD ADVICE

Car thefts increase in Milwaukee, police warn of RNC

During the MPD’s quarterly crime statistics briefing, the police chief urged visitors and residents to be aware of their surroundings.

Updated: 7:02 p.m. CDT July 10, 2024

Milwaukee police are seeing a spike in auto thefts as tens of thousands of visitors descend on the city for the Republican National Convention July 15-18. During his quarterly briefing of crime statistics, the police chief announced a 10% increase in auto thefts this year. MPD said officers responded to 236 cases in 2024. That compares to 215 during the same period in 2023 and 187 in 2022. “We know that those who previously committed auto thefts have now moved on to auto thefts,” Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said Wednesday. “This is a crime of opportunity. Again, auto thefts are a crime of opportunity.” He said in some cases, gangs from Illinois are traveling to Milwaukee and targeting high-value vehicles. He said he is concerned about the alarming trend leading up to the RNC. “It’s obviously a concern. This is a major event that will attract others, but this is not just limited to this event or this area. It’s affecting the whole city,” Norman said. Police said the car thieves are targeting victims who appear distracted or are parked waiting in their cars. They are asking visitors and residents to be vigilant. “Put your phone away. Yes, I said that. Put your phone away. Be aware of your surroundings,” he said.

MILWAUKEE —

Milwaukee police are seeing an increase in car thefts as tens of thousands of visitors descend on the city for the Republican National Convention from July 15-18.

During his quarterly briefing on crime statistics, the police chief announced that car thefts have increased by 10% so far this year.

According to MPD, officers responded to 236 cases in 2024. That compares to 215 during the same period in 2023 and 187 in 2022.

“We know that those who previously committed car thefts have now moved on to auto thefts,” Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said Wednesday. “This is a crime of opportunity. And again, auto thefts are a crime of opportunity.”

He said in some cases, teams from Illinois would travel to Milwaukee and target high-value vehicles. He said he was concerned about the alarming trend ahead of the RNC.

“It’s obviously a concern. This is a major event that will attract others, but it’s not just limited to this one event or this one area. It affects the whole city,” Norman said.

According to police, the car thieves are targeting victims who appear distracted or are standing in their cars waiting. Visitors and residents are asked to be vigilant.

“Put your phone down. Yes, that’s what I said. Put your phone down. Be aware of your surroundings,” he said.