Milwaukee expands illegal dumping crackdown with cameras

On Monday, May 4, Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the Department of Neighborhood Services announced plans to expand the City’s program to address illegal dumping.

For those who choose to dump garbage illegally, Johnson said this is their last warning.

“When we catch you – and we will catch you – you will receive the maximum citation that we have at our disposal, which is $5,000,” Johnson said.

The city will install new cameras near illegal dumping hot spots around the city, bringing the total number of cameras to 100, said Jezamil Arroyo-Vega, commissioner for Neighborhood Services.

Currently, the City of Milwaukee has 10 hidden cameras installed in public spaces where garbage is often illegally dumped. Those hidden cameras have led to tens of thousands of dollars in citations for illegal dumping, Johnson said.

In addition to new cameras, the city created a grant program for community organizations to install monitor cameras throughout Milwaukee neighborhoods, Arroyo-Vega said.

Neighborhood Services will install the cameras and provide participating groups with training on how to use them and on other avenues for reporting illegal dumping.

Organizations that report illegal dumping can receive a reward of up to $1,000 if footage from their cameras leads to the identification and prosecution of those responsible, Arroyo-Vega said.

For a community group to be eligible, it must be located in the City of Milwaukee and be an IRS-recognized nonprofit organization, Arroyo-Vega said.

The online application for the grant program will open on June 1, Arroyo-Vega said. Neighborhood groups will receive an invitation to apply before that deadline.

Kevin Solis, community outreach director with VIA Community Development Corporation on Milwaukee’s south side, said the organization will host a walk audit with Neighborhood Services in the Clarke Square neighborhood on South 20th Street and West Greenfield Avenue on Monday, May 4.

The organization will also host events in partnership with Neighborhood Services to educate neighbors on how to report and monitor illegal dumping, Solis said.

“They [neighbors] know their neighborhoods best, so our goal is to bridge that gap between city entities, city departments and the neighbors, bringing them together,” Solis said. “Our hope is that our neighbors can provide their feedback to them.”

Alyssa Salcedo covers Silver City, Layton Park and Burnham Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact: asalcedo@usatodayco.com.

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