this is a day where we can look back to 2008 and say that we made some worthwhile accomplishments and we made some significant progress in reducing crime in the city we all recognize that one homicide is one homicide to many at the same time I think it is important for us uh as a community to look at exactly what was accomplished last year because that it's a it's significant not just for the great men and women who work for the Milwaukee Police Department not just for the citizens of the city but I think it's important for the future of the city and how we as a City View ourselves and how the rest of the region the state and the nation view the city of Milwaukee I want to start with a statistic uh or a story actually um about how I've viewed this issue the issue of homicides in Milwaukee and oftentimes I've said over the last five years that when I get a call because I get a call when there's a homicide I'm sorry to say that what goes through my mind is that what I'm going to hear from the police officer who's calling me is that the victim is a young African-American male between the ages of 15 and 30 and that he's been killed with a gun that's what went through my mind the first four years that I was mayor the last year that has changed that has changed in a significant way to be even more specific in 2007 54 of those 105 calls involved a young African-American male between the ages of 15 and 30 so the statistics bear out exactly what I was feeling that once a week I was getting a call about a young African American male who is a victim of violence in this city what happened in 2008 is that number dropped that number dropped from 54 to 19 that is an astonishing drop a 65% reduction in murders of young African-American males in one year is an astonishing drop and I think we have to highlight it for two reasons one because it's lives saved it's lives that were wasted that didn't have to be wasted but second and probably more importantly as we look to the Future this community needs positive reinforcement to show that we can reduce violence in this city we did it we did it in 2008 we have to do it in 2009 we have to continue to do it the message that you don't resort to violence is a message that we have to send out over and over again and again we were able to accomplish this for a number of reasons first and foremost I think is the leadership of this police department and the great men and women who are in the trenches every day for the Milwaukee Police Department who are out there disrupting those neighborhoods where we're seeing the crime that has been there for many many years this proactive Police Department under the leadership of of Chief Flynn has given the command the commanders at the district level and the rank and file the backing and the tools they need to disrupt those who want to disrupt Our Lives that's extremely important second our Partnerships our Partnerships with churches our Partnerships with the Boys and Girls Clubs with the the Running Rebels with the United Community Center you name the groups that we have had it with those those Partnerships have been incred incredibly important the people in this community are vested they are vested like I've never seen before in making this a safe City working in programs like the the safe streets and safe and sound program those are important programs the Partnerships with the District Attorney's office and the US attorney's office we have I believe an unprecedented level of cooperation among law enforcement in this community and we're starting to see the fruits of that labor but for this to continue and it has to continue we need to retain an Engaged Community an Engaged CI citizenry who are willing to step forward and work with this Police Department to reduce crime if you look at the reduction in fatalities in homicides as I said particularly among young African-Americans it's astonishing if you look at the reduction in homicides involving Firearms it's amazing a 46% reduction in homicides involving handguns guns in one year is amazing amazing it sends a strong message but it's a message that we have to send over and over again I think we those of us who are in leadership positions in this community have to send this message I think the media I think the churches I think all of us have to send the message that Milwaukee Wisconsin did it in 2008 and we're going to continue to do it this is our city it's going to be safe for our citizens and working together I am confident that we're going to continue this great Trend that has begun under the leadership of Chief Flynn thank you