Milwaukee settles "stop and frisk" lawsuit for $3.4 million

By: Brendan Cullerton

Posted: Jul 10, 2018 6:17 PM CST

NOW: Milwaukee settles “stop and frisk“ lawsuit for $3.4 million

The Milwaukee common council passed an agreement 12-2 Tuesday, that agreed to spend $3.4 million dollars to settle a class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU claimed the city's police department had a "stop and frisk" policy that disproportionately impacted minorities.

Aldermen did not admit guilt in settling, but most agreed they would like to see an improvement from the Milwaukee Police Department.

The deal will send $1.9 million to the ACLU for legal fees, and spend $1.5 million on a consultant that will work with MPD to improve practices.

The ACLU released a list of changes the deal requires MPD to make.

FW: Media Release: Milwaukee Common Council approves historic settlement with ACLU - Outlook Web App, light version

· change policies regarding stops and frisks;

· document every stop and every frisk conducted by officers, the reason for the encounter, and related demographic information, regardless of the outcome of the stop;

· improve training, supervision, and auditing of officers on stop and frisk and racial profiling issues, and provide for discipline of officers who conduct improper stops or fail to document those stops;

· release stop-and-frisk data regularly to the public;

· expand and improve the process for the public to file complaints against police officers;

· maintain the Milwaukee Community Collaborative Committee, which will seek community input policing strategies and their impact on the public to improve trust between law enforcement and city residents, and seek diverse representation on the committee;

· use an independent consultant to evaluate whether the city, the police department, and the Fire and Police Commission are making sufficient progress in implementing the reforms and identifying and correcting unlawful stops and frisks.

Mayor Tom Barrett's office said he planned to sign the deal Tuesday. The policies for the department to change are expected to be finalized by September.