The Milwaukee Police Department appears to be trying a new tack with the troublemakers on Water Street: If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
With shootings, street takeovers and other chaotic activities continuing for years despite increased patrols and other measures in the bar district, the Milwaukee Police Department is weighing an option to move into the space recently vacated by Duke’s on Water.
MPD plans to lease 1,150 square feet of space at 1207 N. Water St. in the building formerly occupied by Duke’s, which closed in May after a 20-year run. The department will reportedly operate around-the-clock at the space at the center of the bar district at Water at Juneau Avenue, but it’s unclear how MPD plans to use it.
“The Milwaukee Police Department is in conversation with the property investors about an appropriate public safety use of the space,” MPD said in a statement to Milwaukee Magazine. It declined further comment “as we continue to review plans.”
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Dozens of bars and restaurants sit within a few blocks of the former Duke’s location, and it’s been the epicenter of street takeovers and bouts of violence in recent years. In March, a 22-year-old man died in a shooting that wounded two other people. In July, an officer responding to a flurry of gunshots was struck by the car of a suspect fleeing the scene; police fired on the vehicle and injured an 18-year-old man. In July 2025, two women were severely injured when a driver plowed through wooden barricades at Water and State streets.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson told Milwaukee Magazine that the MPD outpost would be intended to head off the chaos. “When you have a police presence, by and large, it’s a deterrent to the people who make decisions to do bad things, whether it’s on Water Street or any other place,” Johnson said.
The option arose in July after Andrea Shafton and James Baade, who sold Duke’s on Water in 2024 but retained the building at the time, sold the 1874 building to 1207 North Water LLC. Developer Kendall Breunig, who is listed as the organizer of the LLC, didn’t respond to a message seeking comment.
“It’s my understanding that the property owner approached the Milwaukee Police Department in an effort to work with the city,” said Johnson. “It wasn’t something the police department was seeking but it was an opportunity that was presented to it.”
MPD is expected to only take over the former Duke’s portion of the building, with plans to seal it off from the former Varsity space.
A 24/7 police presence in the entertainment hub would be the latest step toward curbing violence. Those measures have included closing the street to traffic on weekends, reducing parking, restricting scooters and strictly enforcing a youth curfew. More recently, an effort to establish a 10 P.M. curfew on food trucks on Water Street and other Downtown entertainment districts led to a lawsuit on behalf of the operator of the Fatty Patty truck. A judge ruled that food trucks may stay open until 1 a.m. as the suit continues.
There are also traffic barriers, flashing lights to capture the attention of motorists and a mobile jail/booking facility operated in partnership with the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office to quickly process arrests, issue citations, and handle local ordinance or curfew violations.
Johnson said he’s also directed and established what he described as a cross-departmental group to investigate more ways to enhance public safety on Water Street.
“There are other things that this group will recommend for us to implement. We’re always interested in additional opportunities for safety,” he said. “I don’t know exactly when that will happen, but regardless we always are looking at more opportunities.”
Improving public safety along Water Street, as well as throughout the city, is vital, Johnson said.
“The business community wants it to be safe for their patrons,” he said. “Downtown is everybody’s neighborhood and everybody deserves the opportunity to go there and have fun, eat, drink and dine or whatever, and to do it in a safe space without worry.”
