MPD Seeks To Hire 195 New Officers

The Milwaukee Police Department is looking to hire up to 195 new officers this year.

The first application window is now open, with a recruiting class poised to begin in April. After graduating from the training program, officers are paid an introductory wage of $59,734.

“It’s not a job. I don’t even like to call it a career. It’s a calling,” said Police Chief Jeffrey Norman in a Wednesday morning press conference at City Hall.

The new recruits, who will be hired in three separate recruiting classes, are intended to replace officers that retire or resign. Under the 2022 city budget, the number of sworn officers will still drop by approximately 25 to 1,657 by the end of the year.

“I want to encourage people across Milwaukee to apply to be police officers,” said Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “It’s a challenging job and I think we compensate our officers fairly well.”

The base pay is augmented by robust health care and pension plans. Because public safety employees are exempt from the state’s Act 10 bargaining law, officers also see regular pay increases through the Milwaukee Police Association‘s collective bargaining agreement.

“It’s beyond just even the money. Because if you get into it just for the money, I’m going to say this, that’s not going to be what’s going to drive you,” said Norman. He said officers needed to have a calling to engage the community and be committed to providing public safety. “Twenty-six years, I still have a smile on my face so I understand that this is my core.”

But what can the city do to ensure the new officers are as diverse as the city they represent? The chief said every member of the department must also be an advocate to recruit new members. “We are all ambassadors,” said the chief. He noted that officers don’t work for him, they work for the city of Milwaukee.

As of July, only 45% of MPD members live in the city following a 2013 state law change that eliminated the city’s residency requirement. The Fire & Police Commission maintains a five-point bonus on its hiring scoring system for city residents. Additional policies award three bonus points to military veterans and three more bonus points to those with applicable college degrees. The police and fire unions sued to stop the use of residency preference points in awarding promotions.

Then there is the matter of risk to the job.

“Police work has always had that element of danger to it,” said Norman. “To talk about danger, that’s nothing new.”

Less than a week ago, an individual entered MPD’s District Five station and began firing at officers. No one was injured, but a search warrant later revealed that’s because the suspect’s gun malfunctioned after no more than four shots. An officer returned fire and the suspect was caught a few blocks away after being shot.

Norman rattled off a list of other dangerous events for police officers, going as far back as the 1992 Rodney King riots and up to the 2020 onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. “You find your commitment, your resolve there, when you say ‘the community needs us,'” said the chief. “How can we can put any particular moment in our history as a low moment when we are there 365 days a year, 24/7?”

The first application window is open until March 18. Training classes are expected to take place in April, July and November this year. Interested individuals can learn more on the FPC website.