Few local government issues receive more attention in the city of Milwaukee than policing. Spending by the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) makes up close to half of the General City Purposes budget, and recently passed state legislation granting city leaders the authority to impose a new citywide sales tax also requires the city to boost its police officer workforce.
Over the past decade, there has been considerable discussion both locally and nationally about the need for police reforms. The Wisconsin Policy Forum has also recently explored this issue, taking a broad look at police reform in the city in 2021 at the behest of then-Mayor Tom Barrett and producing a report that assessed how Milwaukee’s reform efforts dovetailed with national calls for change.
In Milwaukee, police reform discussions pre-dated the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests, with high-profile incidents like the killing of Dontre Hamilton in Red Arrow Park and unrest in Sherman Park initiating close looks at how police officers use force, engage with residents in mental health crisis, and more.
Another key development was a lawsuit filed against the city by a group of Black and Latino city residents over alleged unconstitutional stop-and-frisk practices carried out by MPD. In July 2018, both MPD and the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission (FPC) entered into a Settlement Agreement known as the Collins Settlement, named after the lead plaintiff in the case.
Much of the agreement focuses on concrete changes the department has taken and continues to take to train its officers; record, document, and publish data pertaining to certain activities conducted by officers; and come into compliance on matters like racial profiling. A few focus on the matter of “community policing;” some of those items remain unfinished.
The Settlement requires discussion of community policing as part of command staff meetings and asks that FPC’s hiring process test for a “candidate’s ability to lead and direct community policing efforts.” Indeed, in the most recent annual report on the settlement, evaluators note that the FPC has “worked with the testing provider to incorporate concepts of community policing into testing procedures for promotional exams.”
MPD and FPC settled on a definition of community policing – or, as we refer to it in this report, community oriented policing (COP) – in their creation of a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). However, they have yet to roll out a more comprehensive Community Oriented Policing Plan, as stated in the purpose of that SOP.
In recognition of this gap, in the summer of 2022, both parties, along with the resident-led Community Collaborative Commission (CCC), began a series of listening sessions designed to incorporate resident voices from all parts of the city into the development of the Community Oriented Policing Plan for the department to guide its COP practices.
The Wisconsin Policy Forum was contracted by MPD to attend these listening sessions and summarize them in a written report. We also offered to provide insights gained from research on COP policies and practices in peer cities that could further inform deliberations on a new COP framework for MPD.
Consistent with that charge, this report synthesizes key themes raised at the 16 MPD listening sessions held from July 2022 to February 2024. It also highlights COP efforts in other cities that are relevant to those themes, and concludes with policy considerations that could be weighed by MPD, FPC, city elected officials, and other stakeholders as they seek to update and improve MPD’s existing COP policies and procedures and develop effective community engagement strategies. Continue reading…