Number Games at MPD

Something .........cough........doesn't add up.

The Milwaukee Police Department released data Monday showing it had actually received fewer calls for service in 2009 than in the previous four years, contradicting data it had given the Journal Sentinel in response to an open records request...

...The data regarding calls for service showed the department had received more than 817,000 in 2009, an increase of about 23% over the average for the previous four years

(That was the first story.)

...On Monday, however, Police Chief Edward A. Flynn said the information provided by the department incorrectly included data on all officer activities...

The department actually received slightly more than 254,000 calls for service in 2009, lower than the totals for any of the previous four years, Flynn said Monday.

That's quite a decrease, indeed!

With my calculator, mmmmmm scritchmmmmscratchmmmmmscritch, I get a 2004-2008 average of about 650,000 calls, using MPD's first number.

So what Flynn's selling is that calls went from ~650K to ~250K?

A SIXTY-ONE PERCENT DECREASE IN CALLS?

I know that Milk-Carton Tommy wants to become the Governor. I know that he has to show results in his Crime-Fighting. OK.

But sixty++%?

Puh leeeeeeeeeeeeeeezz.