The majority of homicide victims and suspects involved in the 39 killings that occurred in Milwaukee in the first six months of 2009 were no strangers to crime, according to a report released Thursday.

About 75% of the victims and about 86% of the suspects had prior arrests, according to the report, compiled by the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission.

Victims killed in the first six months of 2009 had an average of 12.4 prior arrests, the report shows. Suspects in those homicides had an average of 12.8 prior arrests. ["Average" implies some had none; others had 100's.]

"We know the majority of homicides are occurring in the highest crime, dense areas. We know that the majority of them are somehow crime-related," said Mallory O'Brien, director of the Homicide Review Commission. "If you're not involved in the drug trade and you don't have a criminal record, the likelihood that you're going to be involved in a homicide or shooting is very small," she said.

"I think if we look at the trends . . . we're stabilizing," O'Brien said. "The criminal justice community has been doing a good job in targeting with the right individuals and the right locations."