GOP lawmakers: MPD command staff, including chief, should help patrol understaffed shifts

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A group of 20 Republican state lawmakers sent a letter Wednesday to Mayor Cavalier Johnson calling on him to urge Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) command staff, including Jeffrey Norman, to help patrol in neighborhoods when other officers are moved to provide a larger downtown presence.

State Rep. Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield) a former Milwaukee alderman who changes addresses to get into his Assembly district, was the lead author of the letter. It called on Johnson to broker a labor agreement with Milwaukee Police Association, which represents the city's rank-and-file officers.

The letter also called on the mayor to push Norman in support of a temporary reorganization of MPD that would get all sworn officers, including command staff, onto the streets.

"Reallocating officers from one area to another is not a sustainable solution," the letter read, referring to changes in MPD staffing following a series of weekend shootings and disorder on Water Street downtown.

"Yeah, I'd love to see the chief and some of these guys take the role of the captain," Donovan said Wednesday. "I think it's critical that they get out and see what our officers are up against on a regular basis."

Norman attended a National Night Out event MPD hosted Wednesday night on the city's northwest side. He declined to answer questions about the lawmakers' letter, and staffers moved between Norman and a CBS 58 camera when a reporter tried to ask about it.

MPD's media relations office directed questions about the letter to City Hall, noting the letter was addressed to Johnson.

Jeff Fleming a spokesman for the mayor's office, said Johnson's administration was still working to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the officers' union. In a statement, Fleming added the mayor and Fire and Police Commission do not have the authority to dictate staffing decisions to MPD leadership.

"With negotiations continuing with the police officer's union, union leaders have encouraged outside pressure on the city to reach a contract settlement. They have used selective and misleading statements to make their case," Fleming said. "As to specific deployment strategies, that is entirely up to the leaders of the police department."

Fleming noted Milwaukee's civilian government, via the Fire and Police Commission, can no longer set MPD policy as a result of the 2023 Act 12 law that allowed Milwaukee to enact a city sales tax but also included a series of concessions in order to get Republican votes, including a weakening of the FPC.

Donovan acknowledged the staffing changes would have to come from with MPD, but he maintained lawmakers were merely pushing Johnson to use his influence with Norman.

"I'm asking the mayor to urge the police chief. He can pick up the phone," Donovan said. "Can't he even talk to the guy? Is the guy some god you can't have access to, for Pete's sake?"

Fleming also pointed to MPD data that showing a number of reported major crimes, including assault, robbery and car theft are down from this year last year. 

Critics point to Milwaukee experiencing 89 homicides so far this year, compared to 85 at this time last year. Donovan also said having high-profile incidents downtown are also a black eye for the city.

"I'm not questioning whatever numbers," Donovan said. "I'm saying the level of disorder in an increasing number of neighborhoods, including downtown, is on the rise."

Of the 20 lawmakers who signed onto the letter, only four of them represent districts that include Milwaukee County. Donovan said the others' voices were legitimate because Milwaukee leaders have sought state aid in the past.

"Boy, they certainly cared what they had to say when they wanted their vote on Act 12," he said. "So, when they want something for the city, yeah, they care what they have to say."

Donovan, who chairs the Assembly's committee on urban revitalization, said he plans to hold a hearing next month at the Capitol on police recruiting issues statewide. He said he hopes Norman will be among the chiefs who testify.