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Gun violence in Milwaukee costs taxpayers millions; what we learned

By and
Published  May 22, 2025 5:24pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX6 News Milwaukee
Gun violence costs taxpayers millions

Gun violence costs taxpayers millions

Gun violence is costing taxpayers millions of dollars. That is the message as a gun violence prevention program enters a new phase in Milwaukee.

The Brief

    • We're getting a new look at the cost of gun violence in Milwaukee.
    • New research shows each homicide costs the city about $2 million.
    • That money goes to health care, investigation, incarceration, victim compensation and social service assistance.

MILWAUKEE - Gun violence is costing taxpayers millions of dollars. That is the message as a gun violence prevention program enters a new phase in Milwaukee. 

Cost of gun violence

What we know:

Violence is Reggie Moore's focus in his work for Medical College of Wisconsin. 

"Gun violence is so high in the area," Moore said. "Each homicide costs the city of Milwaukee $2 million."

Reggie Moore

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The crime dashboard from Milwaukee police says there have been 47 homicides to date in 2025. By Moore's calculations, that is a cost of about $94 million – taxpayer money that goes to health care, investigation, incarceration, victim compensation and social service assistance. 

What they're saying:

On Thursday, Moore gave Milwaukee's Public Safety and Health Committee new information about costs as part of a partnership to prevent gun violence. 

"If we save one life, the internal investment is clear. The prevention is smart public safety," Moore said. 

414 Life

Dig deeper:

You might have heard of the program, 414 Life. It started in 2018 and treats gun violence as a disease. The city helps fund the effort to prevent reinjury after gun violence, support people through recovery, and educate young people with the hope they avoid violence in the first place. 

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"Since the program launched in 2018, there has been over 250 high risk situations where guns may have been presented or someone's house was shot up or threatened, so being able to intervene and descalate those situations is critically important," Moore said. 

Reggie Moore

What's next:

The next phase is now kicking off – evaluating the community impact of the program. 

The Source: The information in this post came from the Milwaukee Police Department and 414 Life.

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