Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn had an opportunity to sit down with local media to discuss the successes of his first year.
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Chief Edward Flynn was recently in Washington, D.C. as a member of the Major Cities Chiefs Association - a group of chiefs of police of the largest cities in the country. With a new administration, the chiefs wanted to meet with various lawmakers to discuss what law enforcement would like to see from the Obama administration.
Chief Flynn has now met with Senators Kohl and Feingold - Senator Kohl is the cosponsor on the COPS legislation that would bring back a very successful funding program for local law enforcement. Additionally, while in D.C., Chief Flynn met with Senator Dianne Feinstein. As a group, they met with Sen. Harry Reid.
As a board member of both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Police Executive Research Forum, Chief Flynn is an opinion leader on law enforcement issues nationally, and will use every opportunity to talk with legislators, both local and national, to ensure that local law enforcement has the tools needed to fight crime, fear and disorder.
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Charges have been issued as a result of the keen observation skills of District 6 officers during a January 8 traffic stop. Officers Richard Villanueva and Eric Laux stopped a car without a front license plate at about 8:30 p.m. near S. 41st Street and W. Greenfield Avenue. When the officers approached the car they saw a shotgun on the floor near the passenger's feet. The officers searched the rest of the car and found a pistol, two sawed off shotguns, ammunition, masks, duct tape, knit hats, and gloves. The suspects were arrested, and when questioned by detectives admitted that they were planning a robbery.
The driver, John Leon, has been charged with Conspiracy to Commit a Robbery. The passenger, Pedro Caliz-Torres, has been charged with Conspiracy to Commit a Robbery, three counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and two counts of Possession of a Short Barrel Shotgun. Caliz-Torres is a convicted felon as a result of prior robberies.
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Two weekend traffic stops lead to the arrests of felons in posession of firearms in District 7.
Shortly after 5 p.m. on January 3, Officers Jovan Petkovich and Erik Nordstrum stopped a car for speeding in the 4000 block of West Fond du Lac Avenue. The officers found that that the driver, a 24-year-old male, had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The officers searched the vehicle, and found a .32 caliber handgun in the trunk. The suspect is a previously convicted felon. He was arrested for Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
Shortly before 8 p.m. on January 3, Officers Darcie Trunkel and Craig Leffler stopped a car driving recklessly in the 4900 block of North 49th Street. The officers detected the scent of burning marijuana coming from the vehicle so they arrested the 40-year-old male driver. The officers searched the vehicle and found a .38 caliber handgun in the glove box. The suspect is on parole for 2nd Degree Homicide, and is Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
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Milwaukee Police are stressing the importance of recording serial numbers of valuables to provide to officers in the event of a theft. MPD recently broke up a burglary conspiracy operation on Milwaukee’s south side and recovered 14 stolen snow blowers. Some of the units were recently returned to the owners that were able to provide MPD with the serial number.
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Milwaukee Police have arrested a 32-year-old Milwaukee man for cruelty to animals after he left two dogs outside in bitter cold temperatures without proper shelter, food, or water, causing the death of one of the dogs. Citizens are reminded that the Wisconsin Humane Society is an available resource when a pet is no longer wanted
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Officers at District 4 arrested a Robbery suspect after the suspect came into the station to ask about the arrest of his girlfriend. At about 5 p.m. on January 13, detectives provided officers at District 4 with surveillance video of a suspect committing a Strong Arm Robbery in the 5400 block of W. Fond du Lac Avenue on January 12. At about 10:30 p.m. Sergeant Willie Lee was walking through the lobby at the district to go home for the night when he recognized the man standing at the front counter as the suspect in the video. The man was at the station to ask about the arrest of his girlfriend earlier in the night. The suspect was quickly arrested after Sergeant Lee reviewed the video with Lieutenant Raymond Banks to confirm this was in fact the same man.
The suspect is a 19-year-old Milwaukee man who is currently on probation for Robbery. Detectives believe the suspect may be responsible for several Robberies in Milwaukee.
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Milwaukee Police Department spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz has released the following statement regarding the search warrant conducted at the residence of Vernon Seitz.
"We have no information to substantiate any allegation that the deceased was involved in any missing children cases or homicides of children.
We have exhausted all possible angles in this case. If we receive credible information that warrants investigation, we will pursue it.
We want to make it absolutely clear that it is inaccurate to suggest there is ANY link to the Jacob Wetterling case or any other child homicide or crime involving children anywhere in the country. The search warrant yielded drawings by the deceased of children in sado-masochistic situations but absolutely no evidence that he was involved in any crimes. The search warrant was conducted at the beginning of December.
We want very much to make sure the factual information is shared with the public."
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The Milwaukee Police Department Safety Division reminds everyone to be careful around frozen waterways. Lakes, rivers and large bodies of water are hazardous when the water freezes. Children often see the frozen water as an opportunity to play, but do not realize that the ice may not be strong enough to hold them, causing them to fall through the ice resulting in unintentional drowning.
Safety comes first when children are around any body of water. The Milwaukee Police Department encourages parents and guardians to constantly monitor the activities of children when they are near or in water. Do NOT, walk, bike or ride in motorized vehicles on frozen bodies of water.
For additional information on water safety, please contact the Milwaukee Police Department Safety Division at 935-7990.
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Nearly 25% of the thefts in Milwaukee in 2008 were of license plates or registration stickers. The Milwaukee Police Department asks you to be aware of suspicious activity near parked cars, especially when suspects are seen spending an unusual amount of time near a car’s license plates. Call police to report suspicious activity.
To prevent yourself from being a victim of a license plate theft, consider…
· Using as many screws as available to attach your plate
· Using theft-resistant license plate screws (available at local auto parts stores)
· Cleaning your license plate before affixing the sticker
· Using a razor blade to make several small cuts in the sticker once attached
· Using clear nail polish hardener over the sticker
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Three robbery suspects were arrested after Officer Chad Boyack recognized the clothing one was wearing as being the same worn by the suspect in a recent robbery. Officer Boyack saw the suspect and his accomplice at a gas station in the 4400 block of N. Green Bay Road on January 21. He remembered the clothing the suspect was wearing from the description of a suspect in an armed robbery that happened on January 20 in the 4300 block of N. 16th Street. The two individuals, a 17-year-old man and an 18-year-old man, were arrested. Property belonging to the victim was also found on the 17-year-old.
Officers were able to later recover the .32 caliber handgun used in the robbery. They also arrested a 12-year-old boy who was a third accomplice in the robbery. The 17-year-old and the 18-year-old have both been charged by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office with one count of armed robbery each. The 12-year-old has been referred to the Children’s Court Center.
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District 5 Officers Chad Boyack and Nathan Fager were able to quickly return a snow blower to its owner after they arrested the thief moments after it was taken. Officers Boyack and Fager were on patrol in the 1500 block of W. Atkinson Avenue at about 1 a.m. on January 24 when they saw a suspect pushing a snow blower on the sidewalk. Because of the time of day, the lack of fresh snow, and recent snow blower thefts, the officers stopped the suspect. The suspect couldn’t provide the officers any information about how he got the snow blower so the officers looked further and found that it had been taken from a shed two blocks away. The snow blower was identified by the owner and returned to him.
The 41-year-old suspect is a four-time convicted felon with three prior arrests for burglary and one for robbery. Investigators have also matched the suspect’s fingerprints to a burglary that happened in April of 2008 on Milwaukee’s north side.
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District 5 officers Michael Vagnini and Thomas Maglio, along with officers Cory Washington and Paul Martinez, arrested a felon in possession of a firearm at the Locust Quick Mart in the early morning hours of January 11. The officers were conducting a business check in the 1400 block of W. Locust Street when a subject’s suspicious behavior attracted Officer Vagnini’s attention. Officer Vagnini approached this subject and noticed what appeared to be a bottle sticking out of the subject's pocket. The subject began to walk away from the officer, who believed the subject was shoplifting. Officer Vagnini also noticed an aroma of marijuana and alcohol emanating from the subject, who kept putting his right hand in his pocket. Refusing Officer Vagnini's instructions to remove his hand from his pocket, Officer Vagnini patted the subject down and found a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol. The suspect is a convicted felon. He was arrested for Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Carrying a Concealed Weapon. Because of his intoxicated state, the suspect was also arrested for Endangering Safety by Use of a Dangerous Weapon.
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District 3 officers Robert Toeller and Timothy McNair stopped a minivan in the 2400 block of N. 27th St. at 11 p.m. on January 2. The officers determined that the driver’s license was revoked. The driver was arrested and when the officers searched the van they found 15 tinfoil bindles of heroin in the passenger compartment. The officers also found prescription medication on one of the passengers that was not contained in the appropriate container. She is currently out on bail for a possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia case in Waukesha County. The four occupants of the van will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office for possible charges. All four are from West Bend, Wisconsin.
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District 2 officers arrested a sexual assault suspect during a traffic stop despite the suspect’s best efforts to deceive officers by using a false name. Officer Glenn Podlesnik and Officer Alfred Herrmann stopped the 39-year-old suspect for a traffic violation in the 900 block of W. Lincoln Avenue shortly after 10 a.m. on January 3. The suspect gave the officers a name that did not come back on computer records, so the officers used the new RapID mobile fingerprint system to determine the suspects true identity. Using this information the officers learned the suspect was wanted for 1st Degree Sexual Assault from an October 2000 incident. The Milwaukee Police Department is deploying RapID units in squad cars throughout the city to aid in the proper identification of suspects.
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