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MILWAUKEE — From humble beginnings growing up in the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee’s (HACM) Westlawn public housing community to 26 years of service with the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), the Housing Authority’s new Chief of Public Safety Marlon E. Davis brings a knowledgeable, compassionate perspective to the challenging role. 

At HACM’s Board of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, Chief Davis provided an update on his first 60 days to board members. He shared that strong partnerships are the foundation of everything he seeks to do. He is meeting regularly with team members, residents, partners, and other stakeholders to develop and implement effective safety strategies. 

“It is an honor to lead HACM’s Public Safety team. The team is small in numbers, but mighty in its resourcefulness and commitment to our department’s mission to ensure safe and secure environments where HACM residents, visitors, partners, and staff can grow and thrive. I look forward to building upon the momentum of my predecessors, with a renewed focus on strengthening and expanding our partnerships to effectively address safety concerns,” said Chief Davis.

HACM’s Public Safety department is responsible for various elements of safety and security at all HACM locations, which encompasses over 5,000 households in 22 housing developments and 371 scattered site homes across the nearly 100 square miles of the city of Milwaukee. When fully staffed, the team consists of 18 full-time employees who cover 3 shifts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls for service include emergency and after-hours maintenance, pull alarms, residential disputes, and other non-emergency situations that do not require an immediate law enforcement response. 

Calls for Service

HACM’s partnership with our residents is paramount, particularly when it comes to combating any criminal activity or other serious lease violations at our properties. Input from residents is essential in working together and building trust. Public Safety leadership attends resident organization meetings when invited and works in conjunction with property managers and resident coordinators to address resident concerns that are expressed during those meetings. HACM’s organizational framework provides other opportunities for resident input, including the Resident Advisory Board, representation on HACM’s Board of Commissioners, participation in meetings hosted by property management, and reaching out directly to HACM staff.

Social service providers are a vital group of partners that HACM works with to provide a wide range of supportive services for residents. For example, Lutheran Social Services offers weekly services in public housing developments to assist residents with referrals for home care, healthcare, and in-house clinics. Most recently, they were instrumental in bringing grief counseling partners in support to residents at one of HACM’s properties.

Some HACM properties face heightened security concerns due to increased crime in surrounding neighborhoods, non-compliance with HACM’s lease and resident handbook, and other challenges. When criminal activity occurs, HACM takes action.

First, HACM implements nuisance abatement strategies and takes eviction action in partnership with the courts against residents who violate their lease by bringing drugs, prostitution, or other crimes into the building or having guests who do so. 

Second, HACM requests additional patrols around our properties by MPD. District Captains for MPD have committed to increasing patrols surrounding HACM properties when it has shown to be necessary. HACM’s longstanding partnership with MPD is strengthened by a Memorandum of Understanding that is structured to ensure MPD provides consistent and comparable police services to HACM’s housing developments. It also assists in tracking crime trends in and around HACM developments. HACM has provided some MPD Districts with building access cards to allow MPD Officers to quickly enter buildings. 

Third, HACM has implemented saturation patrols to proactively cover HACM properties that have high calls for service or reports of concerns. Public Safety Officers patrol those properties on foot and in vehicles when they are not responding to calls for service. Weekly data-based assessments are conducted to measure the effectiveness of the saturation patrols and determine if saturation is still needed or if redeployment to other sites is warranted. 

Fourth, in cases of significant criminal activity, HACM augments its public safety efforts temporarily by hiring contracted security staff when resources allow. Privately contracted security officers are currently being utilized during certain hours for Lapham Park, Locust Court, Mitchell Court, and Westlawn Gardens. 

Fifth, as funding allows, HACM increases the security of our properties by adding physical enhancements such as additional cameras and lighting. HACM also secures property perimeters to prevent unauthorized people from entering HACM properties. The Housing Authority’s and the City of Milwaukee’s Information Technology departments are working on secure network connectivity so the MPD Fusion Center and MPD Districts will have access to all security surveillance systems for HACM buildings and offices. HACM Public Safety Officers and Dispatchers also conduct virtual patrols using computer camera clients to remotely view all building and office cameras.

Like other independent living housing providers, HACM relies primarily on law enforcement agencies for public safety services. Beginning in the 1990s, HACM had the great benefit of receiving additional federal funding to provide supplementary security services for HACM’s Public Safety team through federal programs. Unfortunately, this federal funding of public safety services ended over 20 years ago, and most Public Housing Authorities have eliminated their public safety divisions and rely solely on local police departments. HACM has continued to provide this service but at a significantly scaled-back level due to diminished funding from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Each of HACM’s housing developments has its own operating budget. The operating budgets include all costs for the developments, which comprise public safety operations, property management, maintenance services, utility expenses, insurance and general costs, and resident participation costs. The 2023 operating budgets for HACM’s public housing program totals approximately $20.3 million, with primary revenue coming from HUD’s public housing operating subsidy and dwelling rent. Of that, about $1.14 million is currently budgeted for public safety-related services specific to public housing in 2023. Similarly, HACM’s unsubsidized housing developments and our Affordable Low-Income Housing Tax Credit portfolio also provide some funding for public safety services related to those developments. HACM continues to look for additional resources to sustain or expand our safety programs.

HACM’s top priority is the safety and well-being of our residents, and it takes a collaborative approach to ensure safe living environments. Chief Davis and his Public Safety team are committed to that approach and to implementing solutions that enhance the quality of life for HACM residents and ensure anyone working or visiting HACM properties can do so safely. We are seeing progress from the combined public safety efforts and will continue working in partnership with residents and law enforcement agencies to resolve security concerns. 

“We are very pleased to have Marlon E. Davis on board as our Chief of Public Safety. His 26 years of service with MPD and deep expertise will be pivotal in strengthening our public safety efforts. Together, he and his team have already implemented several measures designed to enhance safety and security. Partnerships will continue to play a key role in resolving safety concerns, and Chief Davis is well-equipped to develop those relationships,” said HACM Secretary-Executive Directory, Willie L. Hines, Jr.