MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Police Department releases new data on use-of-force incidents and vehicle pursuits for the first half of 2026.
From January 1 to June 30, 2026, use-of-force incidents were down 5% compared to the year before, dropping from 434 to 414. There was a slight increase in the number of incidents where a firearm was displayed or pointed, but MPD notes that this includes when force was used on an animal.
Incidents involving bodily force rose to 364, up slightly from the prior year, and for incidents where the subject involved was injured, 104 (93%) of those hurt had only minor injuries.
When broken down by demographics, 82% of men involved were African American, along with 85% of women. The median age of both men and women involved was 26 years old.
For vehicle pursuits for this same timeframe, the total number decreased 24% compared to the year before, but the number of drug-related incidents increased 25%. The largest number of pursuits decreased when involving warrants and felonies, both violent and non-violent.
The data also shows a 35% decrease in the number of pursuits terminated by law enforcement and a 23% decrease where the pursuits ended with the perpetrator escaping.
There was also a decrease in the number of vehicle pursuits that involved a crash, and none of the pursuits in 2026 have ended in a death.
MPD’s vehicle pursuit policy states that officers can initiate a vehicle pursuit for either observing reckless driving prior to initiating a traffic stop or if the suspect vehicle flees while driving in a reckless manner after an attempted traffic stop for any state law or ordinance violation.
The data is avaibable as part of the Milwaukee Police Department’s “ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and meaningful public engagement”.
The information can be found on the MPD information services website, along with the Milwaukee arrests and calls for service dashboards.
