Is Police Reform Possible in Milwaukee?

OTHER U.S. CITIES OFFER MODELS FOR POSITIVE CHANGE

BY QUINN CLARK

During the past year Milwaukee protesters have taken to the streets to demand greater community oversight of police. Some of their signs specifically ask for a Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC). “Police having their say and having full control over what they do is just not working at all,” says Omar Flores, co-founder of The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR). “So, I think it’s about time that we listen to the people. We’ve got to do something different.”

The Milwaukee Alliance’s calls for an elected CPAC that would have the power to “hire, fire and discipline Milwaukee police, create the MPD budget and conduct independent investigations into police crimes,” according to their Facebook page. They would like to eliminate the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, the present oversight board appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the common council. However, fire and police commissions are mandated under Wisconsin statutes and local leaders hope to introduce reforms within the current system. Common Council President Cavalier Johnson’s resolution “urging” the Fire and Police Commission “to collaborate with the Milwaukee Police Department to engage with community leaders to rebuild trust and discuss community-oriented strategies to address local civil unrest” was passed by the council. In May, the Fire and Police Commission banned the use of chokeholds.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is also looking to make changes. Last summer he announced the creation of a Commission on Police Accountability and Reform to “examine police practices and strengthen community trust among law enforcement officers.”

But a year after the George Floyd murder, Milwaukee lags behind many metropolitan areas in implementing police reforms. One hundred sixty-six cities in the U.S. have developed a civilian oversight board. While these boards have struggled with finances, the “George Floyd Policing Act of 2020” introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would have cities receive funding for commissions working towards police accountability. Several cities have already taken the initiative to reform their police departments. Here are three examples.

BALTIMORE

In April, Maryland made the historic decision to repeal the “Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights” (LEBOR). One right detailed in the bill stated that misconduct investigations are handled by law enforcement officials rather than civilians. Now that LEBOR is repealed in Maryland, civilian oversight boards have significantly more power.

“Maryland is leading the country in transforming our broken policing system,” Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Adrienne Jones tweeted. “Now, for the first time in our nation’s history, the rights of officers will not be held above the rights of individuals, and policing in Maryland will be transparent and citizen-centered.”

In Baltimore, where police and community tensions have run high, the mayor-appointed civilian review board is an independent agency that reviews police department procedures and public complaints. Maryland’s recent decision to repeal LEBOR could help change the board’s previous struggle to hold real power over the police department.

“Baltimoreans, too, have suffered and been subject to violent policing practices and discrimination that have long engendered mistrust between the community and the BPD,” said President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in a press release. “We are gratified that the hard work so many advocates invested in this process has produced real change.”

MADISON

In September, Madison’s common council voted to form an 11-member Civilian Oversight Board. The board can make recommendations to the Madison Police Department and Police and Fire Commission on use of force, officer discipline and appoint an independent police monitor.

The independent police monitor reviews citizen’s complaints and makes sure that reviews of policing are independent. Unlike other similar groups across the nation, the board has authority to subpoena the police department. Members of Madison’s Civilian Oversight Board were chosen by organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the NAACP. The group is required to be racially diverse and include at least one member who was previously incarcerated.

President Barack Obama took to Twitter to call Madison’s new board “progress.” Similarly, the Madison nonprofit Freedom Inc., a prominent activist group calling for community control of police, called it a “good first step towards community control over safety” on their Facebook page.

Liana Perez, Director of Operations for the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, told Milwaukee’s WUWM that Madison’s board is one of the strongest in the nation. “We’ve been using Madison as an example in the last couple weeks,” Perez said. “We’re holding up Madison as one of the stronger models being put forward right now.”

However, Wisconsin law states that only the fire and police commission can terminate and discipline officers. According to Randy Shrewsberry, former police officer and founder of the Institute for Criminal Justice Training Reform, police officers have historically opposed outside input. “Generally speaking, police agencies dislike external oversight with the belief that civilians wouldn’t ever understand what police must deal with day-to-day or the dangers they face,” Shrewsberry said.

STOCKTON

In 2012, Stockton, Calif., declared bankruptcy, forcing the city to defund its police. The Stockton Police Department had to let 440 officers go. However, along with fewer officers came new leadership from Police Chief Eric Jones. Jones is credited with opening honest dialogue on race with the community and starting implicit-bias training. Crime rates dropped, and trust within the city was earned. According to former Stockton Mayor Tubbs, the city released no tear gas and rubber bullets and imposed no curfews during 2020’s protests.

In July of 2020, Stockton established a City Manager’s Review Board, formed to “provide insight, guidance, monitoring and recommendations on community-police relations and will serve to support the city,” as described in a press release. The 25-member board is made up of community leaders and members, as well as city administrators and members of the Stockton Police Department. The board was initiated by Jones and City Manager Harry Black. “Members of this Board offer invaluable expertise. They will become proactive partners in community problem solving and place-based strategies development, building bridges and relationships between the community and the police and helping us to ensure fair, equitable and courteous treatment for all in a collaborative environment,” Black said. The board continues to meet in 2021, and has issued five goals, including improving relationships between the community and the police and ensuring fair and equitable treatment for all.

After 17-year-old Black teenager Devin Carter was pulled from his car and badly beaten while pulled over for speeding by Stockton police, last December 30, Chief Jones promised to work with the board of community members. “The City Manager’s Review Board, which began its examination of the Stockton Police Department’s use of force data in October of 2020, will continue their analysis in order to make meaningful changes to policing in Stockton,” he said. “We, as an organization, hold the trust of the community paramount and will continue to strive to exemplify our core values.”

Milwaukee advocates have filled the streets calling for accountability and change. Could we soon follow in Baltimore, Madison, Stockton and other cities’ footsteps and give the community more say?

“No matter who’s in office, when there’s enough people power behind something, we can get things changed, we can get things done,” Flores said. “So, I guess what I would say is that I think it’s extremely possible in Wisconsin, especially since the Milwaukee Alliance has been expanding out to different areas in Wisconsin.”

Quinn Clark is a Milwaukee writer who will begin graduate studies in mass communications at Northwestern University this fall.