Meet the five finalists chosen for Milwaukee County Sheriff

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The interview panel for the Milwaukee County Sheriff appointment process has recommended five finalists.

Kenneth Harris: According to his LinkedIn page, Dr. Kenneth Harris is a retired Police Lieutenant for the City of Milwaukee. Dr. Harris was employed with MPD from April of 1993 until May of 2017. Dr. Kenneth is currently an Associate Professor and Department Chair for Justice & Public Policy at Concordia University. He also a Director - MS in Organizational Leadership & Administration. According to his faculty page for Concordia, Dr. Harris has a PhD Degree in Leadership Studies, an MBA Degree in Finance; Risk Management, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice Management, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communication.

Kenneth Harris

Earnell Lucas: Earnell Lucas grew up in Milwaukee and spent 25 years on the Milwaukee Police Department. The former MPD Captain now works for Major League Baseball as head of security. His publicist says he wants to make Sheriff a nonpartisan position and hopes to work with Milwaukee Police and other government entities to make that change. Lucas attended Milwaukee Public Schools and graduated from Marquette University.

Earnell Lucas

Alfonso Morales: Alfonso Morales was appointed to the Milwaukee Police Department in 1993. He was promoted to Detective in 1999. From 2003 until 2009, Morales served as Lieutenant in the Criminal Investigation Bureau.  In 2013, Captain Morales was promoted to the role of Commanding Officer of District Two, which encompasses part of Milwaukee’s South Side and is comprised of more than 87,000 residents. Captain Morales currently runs MPD's Project Safe Neighborhood-High Value Target program, a department-wide initative designed to reduce violent crime by focusing enforcement efforts on some of the worst gun offenders in our community.  Morales holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Carrol University. He has also taken masters level classes at the FBI National Academy in Virginia.

Alfonso Morales

Richard Schmidt: Richard Schmidt became Acting Sheriff one minute after former Sheriff Clarke resigned. Inspector Schmidt was appointed to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office on June 6, 1986. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1996, Captain in January of 2002, Deputy Inspector in January of 2003, Inspector of Detention in February 2006, and Inspector, Senior Commander in 2010 by Sheriff David A. Clarke. Inspector Schmidt has led the Police Services Bureau, which included Expressway Patrol, Criminal Investigations, and Airport Security. In 2004, he was put in charge of the Detention Services Bureau. Inspector Schmidt has a Bachelor of Science Degree, a Masters Degree in Administration, both from Hyles-Anderson Crown Point, IN, and earned a doctorate from Northland International University. 

Richard Schmidt

Carianne Yerkes: Assistant Chief Carianne Yerkes was appointed to the Department as a Police Aide in 1991 and has held the ranks of Police Officer, Police Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain, Deputy Inspector and Inspector. In February of 2016, Assistant Chief Yerkes was promoted to her current rank and commands the Risk Management Bureau.  Assistant Chief Yerkes holds an Associates Degree in Police Science, Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management, and a Masters Degree in Public Service from Marquette University. She is an active member and a facilitator of the Department’s Crisis Intervention Team since 2005 and received the Departments Distinguished Service Award in 2009 for commitment and dedication to the Crisis Intervention Team.

Carianne Yerkes