WEDNESDAY, Jan. 2, 2008, 12:51 p.m.
By Linda Spice
City gun seizures up 9.8% in 2007
Milwaukee police seized 2,733 guns in 2007, nearly 10 percent more than the prior year, Mayor Tom Barrett announced at a news conference today.
In 2006, police seized 2,490 guns, according to department figures.
Barrett said the city and police do not plan to let up in 2008. "We will be more aggressive," he said. "That's our new year's resolution."
The mayor and police officials released the year-end gun numbers during a news conference that focused on today's arrest of a 29-year-old man suspected of dealing drugs out of a home in the 2700 block of N. 46th St.
Police said the man lived at the home with his wife and their four children, ages 6, 4, 2 and 2 months, who were all home at the time when police executed a search warrant and confiscated marijuana, cocaine, cash and three guns -- a semi-automatic rifle, and two semi-automatic handguns, a .25 caliber and .40 caliber.
The woman was not arrested. Police said the home was clean and had food.
Police said the case highlights the work the department is doing to stem the violent crime that often follows illegal drug activity and the illegal possession of firearms in the city. Lt. Aaron Raap, of the department's Intelligence Division, noted, however, that the suspect in today's case did not have a felony record and at least one or more of the guns may have been purchased legally. He said because of the presence of drugs, though, that police seized the guns.
He said investigators are reviewing whether any of the guns might be linked to other crimes.
