Bill Keeps Accused Cops on the Job
State bill would also let cops union grab power on Fire & Police Commission.
Janel Brandtjen and Van Wanggaard.
Police officers and firefighters accused of gross wrongdoing would stay on the job while he or she awaits a hearing before the Fire and Police Commission, under a bill introduced in the State Legislature.
The bill, introduced by State Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls), and State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) says that “no member of the police force or fire department may be disciplined by the chief of either of the departments except for cause and after trial ….”
Brandtjen is best known for advocating for aid cuts to Milwaukee unless the city took steps to cut crime.
“It’s just breathtaking how much influence the MPA (Milwaukee Police Association) has with certain legislators,” said Patrick Curley, chief of staff to Mayor Tom Barrett.
The bill, according to a city Intergovernmental Relations Division memo, “would decimate FPC’s independence, create a local financial crisis, and severely erode community trust in the oversight of law enforcement” and “would add millions of dollars to the municipal budget and would create a dramatic financial burden that would reduce other critical city-funded services.”
The new bill would keep the officer or firefighter on the job for at least 10 days after a disciplinary recommendation. If the employee does not appeal before those 10 days are up, the discipline would take full effect.
It would cost about $1 million annually to fund police officer pay and fringe benefits while they are undergoing disciplinary processes, the memo said.
The bill would require that three-member panels that hear complaints against officers include one member with professional firefighter experience if the complaint is against a firefighter, and one with professional law enforcement experience, if the complaint is against a police officer.
A new appeal path would be available for police and firefighters disciplined by the commission. Currently, appeals go to circuit court; under the bill, the appeal could first go to an arbitrator agreed to by both sides, then to circuit court. Arbitration and court costs would be at city expense.
The appeals process could take years, Curley said. “Meantime, the taxpayers are paying these folks,” he said.
Language in the bill would keep firefighters and police officers accused of gross wrongdoing on the job.
The bill also would impose a tougher evidence standard for disciplinary cases involving police officers or firefighters. The standard would change from “substantial evidence” that a rule or order was violated to “clear and convincing evidence.”
“Substantial evidence” means “such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion,” according to lectlaw.com; “clear and convincing evidence” means “the trier of fact must be persuaded by the evidence that it is highly probable that the claim or affirmative defense is true.”
The bill also would allow political parties to have more influence on the commission and the unions representing police and firefighters would each essentially have an appointment to the commission.
The bill would require Milwaukee to have at least one commission member with professional law enforcement experience and at least one member with professional firefighting experience. Those appointees would be selected from lists submitted by the firefighters and police unions.
Current law prohibits more than three commission members from being in the same political party. The bill would require the mayor to select any members affiliated with a party from lists submitted by the “chief officer” of the Republican and Democratic parties.
The bill also would require the commission to meet in closed session with representatives of the affected union when the commission appoints either a new police or fire chief.
The bill even goes so far as to remove the executive director of the commission from the mayor’s cabinet.
Under current law, the mayor nominates the members of the Fire and Police Commission and the Common Council confirms the nominations. In addition, no more than three members of Milwaukee’s seven-member Fire and Police Commission may be from the same political party, according to a Legislative Reference Bureau summary of the bill..
“This person acts as the principal staff of a first class city board, reviews certain situations or investigations involving the police or fire department, evaluates police and fire department policies and practices, and issues periodic reports to the public relating to the status and outcome of complaints that have been filed,” according to the Reference Bureau summary of the bill.
The independent monitor would serve at the pleasure of the commission and could not be removed by the mayor or the Common Council.
Under the bill, “a court or arbitrator must review the evidence independently and without deference to the board’s findings; must reverse the board’s decision if it finds that fairness or correctness of the action has been impaired by material or procedural errors; and must set aside or modify the board’s decision if it finds that the board erroneously interpreted a provision of law, or may remand the case to the board for further action that is consistent with current law,” according to the Reference Bureau report.
The court or arbitrator also would be required to reverse the commission’s decision if the board’s actions were outside of its delegated powers or were inconsistent with a board rule, policy, or practice,” unless the deviations were adequately explained.
The bill also allows a court or arbitrator to take additional testimony and depositions and to grant requests for additional discovery.
Gretchen Schuldt writes a blog for Wisconsin Justice Initiative, whose mission is “To improve the quality of justice in Wisconsin by educating the public about legal issues and encouraging civic engagement in and debate about the judicial system and its operation.
More about the Assembly Bill 606
- Proposed state law would reduce local control over Milwaukee’s Fire and Police Commission - Ald. Michael Murphy - Nov 1st, 2017
- Bill impacting makeup of Fire and Police Commission makes sense - State Rep. Bob Donovan - Nov 1st, 2017
- Bill Keeps Accused Cops on the Job - Gretchen Schuldt - Oct 31st, 2017
Read more about Assembly Bill 606 here
Don’t worry. I am sure Walker will stand up to these big government fire and police unions. He will protect the taxpayers from all the wasteful spending that this bill would cause.
Every other law enforcement agency in Wisconsin suspends their officers WITH pay until they get a fair shake. Don’t Milwaukee’s police officers deserve the same protection?
Bill. The Milwaukee officers are getting more than a fair shake already. The Milwaukee officers are free to seek employment elsewhere if they don’t like the terms of their employment. There is a line around the block of qualified people ready and able to do their job.
The police and firefighter unions are out of control. Folks do not worry about the streetcar wrecking the city budget. Just continue to watch these two unions grab for more power and influence. Very dangerous.
Ryan, what planet do you live on? Milwaukee is 300 officers short. Your mayor is asking for traffic cameras because the police don’t have the resources to control traffic. Your property taxes are 3 times that of Brookfield on a 240k home and your schools are the among the worst in the country despite spending 15k per student. The police take all day to get to a crime scene and your mayor is building a trolley. Good luck in Milwaukee!! LOL
Bill, you are making no sense. 300 short based on what? The big government union estimate/ request? You need to crawl out from under your rock and stop listening to belling. Police take up an ever increasing share of the budget. Something like 60 percent now just for fire and police pay and benefits. Every year more and more. Constant whining about the mayor and not enough resources. Crying to walker and his flunkeys about their boss. Wah!! My response is to find another job if you can’t handle being a milwaukee police officer. The qualifications aren’t exactly that stringent to become a cop. Despite any delusions of grandeur any of them might have. I will agree that property taxes are high, but that is largely due to overcompensated public safety employees in the city.
Ryan, I supposed next you’ll tell us that the crime in Milwaukee is under control. LOL
Bill, is crime ever really under control? Do believe in diminishing returns? You would need dozens of cops on each block to get a real improvement from where we are. Even that isn’t a guarantee. Failing to fill 300 vacant cop positions is unlikely to have much affect on crime. It is just reality. At this point we’ll just have to agree to disagree on everything but Milwaukee’s high property taxes. I would say they are only somewhat high, whereas I’m sure you think they are completely out of control. If the cops are so concerned about safety they can forgo some pay increases or benefits to allow the city to afford more positions.