police

One of the officers who was present at the January tasing and arrest of Sterling Brown of the Milwaukee Bucks has been fired, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales announced on Thursday.

But it wasn't the officer’s role in the arrest that led to his termination. It was his actions on social media afterward.

A recent ACLU stop-and-frisk lawsuit alleged that the Milwaukee Police Department was violating the rights of people of color during stops. The city paid out a $3.4 million settlement, which includes money to cover an independent consultant who will monitor the department’s progress on racial profiling.

The Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales addressed the recent rash of homicides in the city at a press conference on Monday. He also gave an update on the department’s public safety efforts over the next six months, which includes establishing community relationships. 

Morales called the news conference after at least 15 people died by gun violence in August. Then, he put the numbers in context.

Last year, the ACLU sued the city of Milwaukee, based on the police department’s stop-and-frisk program. An analysis of police stops in Milwaukee found significant racial bias in who was being stopped and the areas where these stops were occurring.

Thousands of people gathered on Wednesday to honor the life of Michael Michalski, a Milwaukee police officer who was killed in the line of duty on July 25.

A memorial service was held at the Assembly of God Church in Oak Creek. Dozens of law enforcement agencies escorted Michalski's body from the chruch, past the Milwaukee police headquarters and then to his final resting place at Wisconsin Memorial Park. American flags lined the entrance to the Brookfield park.

There’s a power-play going on between Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and aldermen about who's on the Fire and Police Commission, a citizen body that oversees the city’s police and fire departments.

At stake, some say, is how police officers interact with the community.

Mayor Barrett nominated retired Deputy Police Chief William Gielow to the citizen oversight panel, for a five-year term. Gielow spent 41 years on the Milwaukee police force.

Update:

The Milwaukee police officer who was shot and killed Wednesday night has been identified as 52-year-old Michael Michalski. He was a husband, father of three, and a veteran of the department, said Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales at a press conference Thursday.

Milwaukee aldermen have approved a nearly $3.5 million settlement, related to the former police chief’s policy of routine traffic stops in high-crime areas. Edward Flynn set up the program in hopes that the practice would significantly reduce violent crime. But, the ACLU of Wisconsin filed a federal class action lawsuit last year. The organization claimed the policy amounted to thousands of illegal “stop and frisks” of African-American and Latino residents. The vote Tuesday followed a sometimes bitter debate.

Some Milwaukee residents and officials consider new Police Chief Alfonso Morales to be a breath of fresh air. Earlier this year, he took over for Edward Flynn, who retired. The Fire and Police Commission chose Morales to serve the final two years of Fynn's term. Morales has pledged to improve police-community relations, and some say he's making inroads. But a Milwaukee alderman thinks the public deserves a say in who heads the police department. 

He's pushing for a change that would allow citizens to elect the police chief.

Update:

The Milwaukee Common Council Wednesday unanimously approved a proposal that would have police cadets train at MATC and for the city to hire part-time officers.  The resolution now goes to Mayor Tom Barrett.

Original Post:

Milwaukee could be looking at a future of part-time and seasonal police officers patrolling the city. The common council is meeting Wednesday to discuss the proposal. It also includes training police officers at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

The Fire and Police Commission is mandating that the Milwaukee Police Department conduct an audit of the Sterling Brown incident.

Brown is the Milwaukee Bucks rookie who officers tased and arrested last January after finding his car parked across two handicapped spots at a Walgreens on the south side.

Update:

Newly released police body camera footage reveals more about what officers said and did, in their scuffle with NBA player Sterling Brown in Milwaukee. Brown was tased and arrested early on a January morning, but he was not charged with a crime.

Almost two weeks ago, the Milwaukee Police Department released the highly anticipated video footage of the altercation between several officers and the Milwaukee Bucks rookie. Police confronted Brown, after noticing his car parked across two handicapped spaces at a Walgreens on the city’s south side.