West Allis Q4 report: major crime categories fell; police urge residents to secure garages, vehicles and plates

West Allis police reported declines in several major crime categories for the fourth quarter and urged residents to secure garages, vehicles and license plates to reduce theft and improve investigations.

Captain Clemente, who oversees the patrol bureau, told attendees that part‑1 offenses for Oct. 1–Dec. 31, 2024, were down across most categories. He said robberies fell from 18 to 15 and burglaries from 31 to 24 compared with the same period the prior year. "We didn't have a homicide in 2024," Clemente said, noting that although officers cannot control all domestic incidents, the department saw an overall reduction in violent crime.

Clemente broke down common patterns: many robberies were retail-theft escalations or bar incidents rather than street confrontations; many burglaries involved garages, storage units and basement laundry rooms rather than forced entry into homes; and theft-from-auto remained a significant and preventable problem. He warned residents not to leave valuables or garage remote controls in vehicles and urged neighbors to watch alleyways and each other.

On motor-vehicle thefts, the captain said last year's total included about 53 vehicles and as many as 15 were Kias or Hyundais in a prior sample; however, thefts are scattered across makes and areas. He noted an increase in sophistication among thieves, including key‑reprogramming schemes, and recommended using steering‑wheel locks and garage storage when possible.

Residents and officers also discussed license-plate legibility. Chief Mitchell and other speakers said a defective batch of state plates produced legibility problems; the state has passed a bill to require plate replacement and tighter manufacturing standards. "We have stopped cars for license-plate covers or unreadable plates," Chief Mitchell said, adding that unreadable plates can prevent citizens from reporting crimes and hamper investigations. Officers confirmed that Flock camera systems can generally read affected plates when the system has a plate alert, but defects in some plates make manual reading difficult.

Traffic enforcement and pursuit policy were also discussed. The meeting reviewed an aggressive traffic enforcement initiative that places squads on targeted streets to reduce red-light running, stop‑sign violations and speeding. Alderman (unnamed) and the police described the city’s negligent‑operation ticket, which police said can be up to $10,000 (about $12,000 including court costs) for conduct that endangers a person who is off the roadway; six such tickets were issued last year, officials said. Chief Mitchell explained that many negligent‑operation referrals are tied to pursuits and that felony charges such as fleeing or recklessly endangering safety often accompany pursuit cases handled by the district attorney.

The department also described school‑safety work: officers conduct targeted enforcement near schools, the city uses tabletop exercises with regional partners, and each squad car carries QR codes linking to mapped floor plans of schools so responding officers can locate classrooms quickly. A new key‑card program gives every squad access to school buildings, the chief said.

Captain Clemente closed with enforcement statistics and prevention advice: nearly 9,000 traffic stops last year, proactive alley patrols, and repeated requests that residents lock cars, secure garages and report suspicious activity. Registration was announced for the next community police academy beginning in March; the department said applications are on the West Allis website.