‘Sometimes you take your eye off the ball.’ Chief admits decline in activity.
By Jeramey Jannene – Jun 10th, 2026 04:25 pm
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman. Photo by Jeramey Jeannene
Less than two months after going public with its southside safety plan, Common Ground Southeastern Wisconsin has scored what its lead organizer said is a “big victory.”
The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) is changing its practices on designating “nuisance” properties, after seeing a 66% reduction in such designations in the past decade.
“Our message is to use and improve the 80-10 nuisance ordinance to make our neighborhoods safer, to hold corporate landlords accountable and to recoup funds for MPD,” said Gabriela Dieguez, a member of Common Ground and psychotherapist at the Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, to the Steering & Rules Committee Monday afternoon. The community group packed the meeting room with supporters.