Another year is in the books, and 2017 was a mixed bag of successes and shortcomings.

We continued to have great success in problem-solving to address some of the problem addresses and people in our neighborhoods. We spent a great deal of time on outreach efforts and community involvement. Our Coffee with a Cop program is by far the strongest in the city because Northside residents really care and want to improve our neighborhoods.

These efforts will continue in 2018 with involvement in neighborhoods and events like the department’s National Night Out this August at Warner Park, where everybody is welcome to join us.

Thefts from autos and burglaries were down this last year, as well as other quality of life measurements.

The two big shortcomings were the number of shots-fired calls and drug overdoses. I have said it before — and it is proving to be the case — that we cannot arrest ourselves out of the problem of shots-fired incidents. We have made a number of arrests, but the incidents are still occurring at an unacceptable level. We need to find a way for these young men to care about themselves, their future, their families and their friends. The community and families must be part of the solution to this ongoing problem.

The Northside continues to lead the city in drug overdoses, which is not new, and is a high priority for the district. We have referred a number of residents to the Madison Addiction Recovery Initiative (MARI), but it is too early to know how affective the program will be for those individuals.

In 2018 we will continue our efforts in outreach and problem-solving and will focus on ways to turn things around in the number of shots fired and overdoses. I hope everybody has a safe and fun 2018.