A few good men? How about a lot of good women; MPD seeks to have 30% female force by 2030

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee's Fire and Police Commission on Thursday announced a shift in the way it recruits police officers. A new application process will open Friday, and one of the city's goals is nearly doubling the percentage of the police force that is women.

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said the department did not have a specific number for how many officers it wanted to add to the 1,621 currently serving, but indicated many new recruits would be needed as MPD forecasts a wave of retirements in the coming years.

Those who join the force will be doing so at a time when the city has set new homicide records for three consecutive years. Gun violence has continued to plague the city, and so far this year, it has gotten noticeably worse for teenagers. 

Norman told reporters at a City Hall press conference potential recruits shouldn't see grim shooting statistics as obstacles, but rather, as calls for their help.

"What do you do in challenging times? Do you cower?" Norman said. "Go and hide in your house? Or do you step up, and be part of the solution? I always say, 'together we're better.'"

When the new officer application period opens Friday, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said the city would emphasize having its police department look more like the city it serves. To achieve that goal, the city announced a '30 by 30' initiative, where it will aim to have women account for 30% of MPD's sworn officers by 2030.

According to MPD data, the city currently has 264 sworn female officers. That makes up 16.3% of the police force. 

"We need dedicated, thoughtful and compassionate officers," Fire and Police Commission Executive Director Leon Todd said. "Who understand that public service requires respect and understanding as much as strength and pride."

Pay is part of the city's pitch to potential new officers. The starting salary for Milwaukee cops is $63,564 and can climb to as much as $84,743.

In order to pay those wages, and especially the pensions of retired officers, Johnson said the city would need help from the state. It's been a familiar refrain during the ongoing talks in Madison about a massive shared revenue bill that would overhaul how Wisconsin funds its local governments.

Those negotiations hit another snag this week when Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said he was done negotiating Wednesday shortly before Assembly Republicans passed their version of the bill.

While it increased state aid for all cities, towns and counties by at least 15%, it kept requirements that local governments must maintain police and fire staffing levels. The Assembly bill also retained a number of policy requirements specific to Milwaukee. 

In order to adopt a new 2% city sales tax, which could only be used to pay off pension debt and for public safety costs, the fire and police commission can no longer set police policy. The city would also be required to bring back school resource officers. 

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) broke with Vos Thursday, telling reporters at the Capitol he was willing to allow Milwaukee and Milwaukee County's local elected bodies to approve the new and increased local sales taxes, respectively. Vos has said the disagreement could derail the deal because he wants voters to decide whether to approve the new taxes.

At City Hall, Johnson was optimistic the GOP chambers would eventually find common ground with each other and Gov. Tony Evers once the Senate passes its version of the bill. 

"My understanding is that one house takes action; the other house may take action that may be somewhat different, and they've gotta conference and come to some sort of compromise," Johnson said. "And so, I think that's probably what will happen here as well."

Changes to MPD recruitment process

Todd announced a series of changes coming to the MPD police application process Thursday. Moving forward, the application process will be open year-round. 

The department will then review applications after defined recruitment periods throughout the year. There are three such periods scheduled for the rest of this year:

• May 19-June 16
• August 14-September 15
• November 6-December 1

Applicants will take a written test, conduct an oral interview, then undergo a physical test. Candidates who are selected this year will enter the policy academy in 2024.