Milwaukee Gun Owners Asked To Save Spent Casings To Prevent Crime

MILWAUKEE, WI — Milwaukee police on Thursday launched a new program asking local gun owners to save two spent casings in case their firearm is ever lost or stolen and used in a crime.

The initiative, called Operation Save-A-Casing, comes as the city experiences a spike in shootings and stolen guns. According to a report by TMJ4, 400 guns were reported stolen in Milwaukee in the first four months of 2022. More than half of those were taken from cars, the report said.

To participate in the voluntary program police asked gun owners to save two spent casings from their firearms. If the gun is ever lost or stolen, police will ask the gun owner to give the casings to investigators so they can enter the casings into an Integrated Ballistics Identification System.

Gun owners can also provide two spent shell casings without their guns being lost or stolen. The owner will fill out the envelope from police and get a receipt. A consent form would only be completed if the gun is later stolen or lost, and the casings would only then be entered into the ballistics identification system, according to a news release from Milwaukee police.

Milwaukee police said they'll soon be getting more equipment that can correlate spent bullet cartridges with other crimes and firearms.

"This equipment has been extremely valuable in connecting criminal offenses to suspects and that information has been used to successfully prosecute the same suspects," Milwaukee police said.