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Milwaukee police target Latin Kings gang

By John Dobberstein
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee police Wednesday promised a crackdown on the Latin Kings after arresting two members of a violent street gang in connection with the slaying of a Miller Brewing Co. executive.

“The Latin Kings are out there right now throwing their weight around a little bit, and we’re going to make sure they feel our attention in a very special way in the next several weeks,” said Chief Edward Flynn, adding that the effort will not be a sweep of Latino men, but arrests of specific gang members.

Flynn’s remarks came during a 5 p.m. news conference announcing the arrests earlier in the day of two suspects, ages 17 and 21, both of whom he said had prior records. The 17-year-old was on probation for a robbery, Flynn said.

The two are expected to be charged in the robbery and killing of Lodewikus “Vic” Milford, 43, after a robbery early Saturday in Walker’s Point. Milford, the director of compensation and benefits for Miller, was returning to his car with three women after they had visited a nightclub when they were robbed about 1:10 a.m. Saturday, police said. After they all gave up their wallets and purses, Milford was shot inside his SUV in a parking lot near S. 2nd and W. Walker streets.

Flynn credited the department’s homicide and gang units and District 2 police officers for arresting the suspects just a few days after the crime. He also said Miller’s $10,000 reward was a “significant factor” in helping detectives break the case.

Milford’s killing was tragic, but the circumstances surrounding the crime are also rare in Milwaukee, Flynn said. Some 80% of the homicides in the city in 2007 involved a victim who had a criminal record, he said.

Flynn said he understands that the slaying had a profound impact on the Walker’s Point area, but he believes the neighborhood is safe.

“My message to them is that justice will be done in this case. Don’t lose heart, and don’t lose faith,” Flynn said.

Flynn said both suspects were arrested around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. At least one of them was arrested after officers surrounded Jo Jo’s tavern and an upstairs apartment at S. 6th and W. Maple streets.

A relative of the 21-year-old suspect said police were at his home Tuesday night asking about his whereabouts, what he was wearing and searching for evidence. The relative said she had not seen the man since Sunday, and that he had not seemed particularly agitated or said anything about the slaying.

The relative said the man is on an electronic-monitoring bracelet. Court records show that he was convicted of a felony drug charge in 2006 and received a stayed prison sentence of three years. One of the conditions of his probation was to not possess any firearms, according to records.

Miller Brewing Co. spokesman Julian Green said a memorial service is being planned for Milford’s family, friends and co-workers at 1 p.m. Friday.

Federal prosecutors have indicted large numbers of Latin Kings several times over the past two decades for drug peddling and homicides, including 49 people in a 2005 case. A 2007 U.S. Justice Department drug trafficking intelligence report indicated that other members keep stepping up to take positions of authority in the gang.

Two Latin Kings members were charged in November in the shooting of two police officers near S. 15th St. and W. Greenfield Ave. during a shootout that wounded five people.

Flynn said police will keep up the pressure on the gang. “Their behavior has been intolerable, and we have a responsibility to our citizens to stop them,” he said.

“Let’s send a message here,” said Mayor Tom Barrett. “If you commit a crime in this city, if you disrupt our neighborhoods, terrorize our residents or businesses, or create fear in our streets, we’re coming after you, we will find you and hold you responsible.”

Policing plan

On Wednesday night, Flynn indicated at a meeting at the Kosciuszko Community Center that he would be willing to employ an ordinance passed by the Common Council in June banning gang-related loitering.

The ordinance allows police to disperse groups that include gang members and includes forfeitures from $500 to $5,000 for violators.

The meeting unveiled a plan to reduce crime in police District 2, which includes Walker’s Point.

Flynn shared details of the plan, which has a target area bounded by S. 11th St. on the west, S. 5th St. on the east, Historic Mitchell St. on the south and W. National Ave. on the north.

The adjacent neighborhood, from S. 5th St. east to S. Water St., and from Bruce St. south to Orchard St., is also targeted by the plan, which includes expanding block watch programs, foot patrols by police officers and neighborhood walks involving residents and elected officials.

Copyright 2008 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel