Aaron Lipski sworn in as chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department

By: CBS 58 Newsroom

Posted: Jun 11, 2021 12:15 PM CDT

NOW: Aaron Lipski sworn in as chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Aaron Lipski is officially the new chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department. He was sworn in to his new role Friday, June 11, around eight months after he was named acting chief, following the retirement of Mark Rohlfing.

Watch the ceremony below.

Lipski is stepping into his role as the city continues to recover from the pandemic and is currently experiencing a surge in violent crime including shootings and reckless driving.

During Friday's ceremony, Chief Lipski stressed his department will do better at listening to the community.

"Through that listening and learning, develop understanding and shared reality, it allows us to actually move past this tangle that we're in the middle of right now. We will do better at this," said Lipski.

Lipski has been with the Milwaukee Fire Department for the past 24 years. He'll serve the remainder of former Chief Rohlfing's term, which ends in May of 2022.