Steven M. DeVougas Fire and Police Commission Chair Nelson Soler Vice-Chair Griselda Aldrete Executive Director Ann Wilson Fred Crouther Angela McKenzie Everett Cocroft Raymond Robakowski Commissioners July 15, 2020 To: Editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel I write today to share important information missing from a recent article titled, “As Milwaukee residents demand police reform, the Fire and Police Commission is in turmoil.” • The FPC is filling vacant positions. While promotional examinations for Detective, Lieutenant and Sergeant scheduled for March of 2020 were placed on hold due to COVID-19 travel and health restrictions, all three promotional examinations will resume and be completed by the end of August. Importantly, the last time FPC administered promotional exams was in 2016. • The FPC is implementing stronger oversight and meaningful reform by amending Standard Operating Procedures (SOP): 460- Use of Force; 910- Civil Disturbance and Crowd Management; 453- Officer Involved Deaths and Other Critical Incidents. The FPC also amended SOP 130- Foreign Nationals – Diplomatic Immunity – Immigration Enforcement, with much community input to build trust and greater accountability. The FPC is also reforming Police Officer training and de-escalation techniques; and the FPC is moving forward with the creation of a Community Oriented Policing SOP in collaboration with the Community Collaborative Committee. • Additionally, the FPC is making significant strides on the year-two of the Collins v. City of Milwaukee, ACLU Settlement Agreement -- particularly on the posting of data, and the creation of an audit unit within the FPC. The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) year two status report, due in September, will show this progress. We also launched the ACLU Subcommittee of the FPC to share information with the public, going beyond what was required of us because of our commitment to this landmark case. • The FPC is investigating more citizen complaints. To date, we have investigated and closed 97 citizen complaints, including the investigation into Police Officer Michael Mattioli. This is an increase compared to the same time last year. • The FPC has convened 14 meetings since early March during COVID-19 to handle vital commission business; all while largely working remotely. We have not let COVID-19 slow our work. • My office has prioritized the city-wide CAD/911 consolidation project, scheduled to launch in January 2021, which will be instrumental in reducing city-wide call wait times. Finally, I have made it a priority to hire capable, smart, dedicated staff to help rebuild the FPC—which grappled with serious challenges when I took the helm eleven months ago. I do not pretend that every problem has been solved in under one year, but I am proud of the hard work, dedication and proactive initiatives I have driven, alongside the talented and committed FPC staff. This team works extremely hard, and all of Milwaukee benefits from their work. While I am departing from this important role, I do not depart from my commitment to the integrity and hard work my office has produced, and I will continue to produce, during my tenure as Executive Director. Sincerely, Griselda Aldrete Executive Director Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission 200 East Wells Street, Room 705, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 • Phone (414) 286-5000 Fax (414) 286-5050 • Testing Fax (414) 286-5059 E-mail fpc@milwaukee.gov • www.milwaukee.gov/fpc