Milwaukee Police Need More Help From Federal Prosecutors, Chief Says

With Milwaukee experiencing a surge in homicides this year, Police Chief Edward Flynn called for more collaboration between local police and federal prosecutors, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel .

Flynn spoke about the city's climbing homicide rate Thursday at "On the Issues" with Mike Gousha, a distinguished fellow in law and public policy at Marquette University.

Flynn acknowledged that focused deterrence strategies used in Kansas City's No Violence Alliance and in High Point, N.C., produced results.

The strategy entails identifying prolific offenders and hosting call-ins where they are given community support and offered resources to turn their lives around. They are told — often as a group — they have the attention of law enforcement and will face serious consequences, often federal charges, if arrested again. The most famous example is the "Boston Miracle," which saw homicides plummet from 152 in 1990 to 31 in 1999.

What's missing in Milwaukee, Flynn said, is the regular involvement of the federal system.