http://fox6now.com/2012/09/09/mpd-uwm-police-operation-nets-39-arrests-saturday/
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee police have announced 39 arrests related to an operation between the Milwaukee Police Department and UW-Milwaukee police. Police intensified their presence on the east side near UWM following resident complaints of drunken and disorderly behavior.
The results of the enforcement for the evening of Saturday, September 8th are as follows, according to Milwaukee police: 39 persons arrested with 41 individual charges written.
Of the 39 arrested, 25 were UWM students. Those arrested were surprised to learn they would not just be issued citations, but were taken downtown and booked. At least six of those arrested are UWM student athletes.
The breakdown of charges is as follows:
Excessive Noise – 11
Disorderly Conduct – 4
Underage Possession/Drinking – 22
Obstructing – 3
Public Drinking – 1
MPD, together with UWM Police, held a “Roll Call in the Street” Saturday to share a message of safety and partnership as students return to the UWM area and its surrounding neighborhoods.
Milwaukee police say they are working to address any issues and to return the neighborhoods to those who deserve to live there free from crime, fear and disorder.
“Saturday they did have a bigger presence, and we did have a quieter night. Unbelievable disrespect sometimes. You can have your fun and not wake up the whole neighborhood doing it,” neighbor Phyllis Talarczyk said.
Talarczyk says it’s tough for her and her five-year-old daughter to sleep at night. Talarzczyk says dealing with the noise and parties is the cost of urban living. She’s just hoping after the MPD roll call this weekend and the arrests Saturday night, the costs will be less steep for everyone involved.
“(The area) has a lot of advantages, it just has its ugly side. It’s just sad they have to go to extremes and spend so much time and money when it’s all about just being respectful,” Talarzczyk said.
Police say it’s these types of quality-of-life issues they are trying to address.
FOX6 News spoke with an individual at a home where one of 11 excessive noise violations took place.
“I didn’t go to jail, but my roommate did. I felt it was all like a scare tactic for some reason. We probably had like 20 people over here, but it wasn’t a 70-person kegger rager kind of thing,” the student told FOX6 News.
This student says MPD targeting college parties could be considered a waste of resources.
“It’s Saturday night. Shouldn’t you be out trying to find drunk drivers?” the UWM student said.
UWM officials recently told FOX6 News they do extensive work educating students about respect for neighbors and did not believe off-campus disturbances were up from a year ago. They say they will continue to work with MPD to address any concerns.
