Crime has decreased in a Milwaukee neighborhood since a crackdown last month on a violent gang that operated in the area, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The gang, known as the Nash Street Boys, terrorized residents, selling about $1 million worth of cocaine and marijuana over a two-year period, officials said. The gang was targeted Feb. 14, when teams of law enforcement officers, led by Milwaukee police and the FBI, arrested 39 people suspected of gang involvement.
The bust led to federal indictments against 45 people on counts ranging from conspiracy to drug dealing and weapons violations. In the month since the raid, reported incidents of both total crime and violent crime in the neighborhood have dropped when compared with the month before the raid, said police statistics. The dip in crime is due to both an increased police presence and greater activism by residents, Police Chief Edward Flynn said. “We’re not declaring victory, and this campaign is far from over, but there are positive signs of life in this neighborhood,” Flynn said.