Firing of officer involved in Red Arrow Park shooting reeks of politics
Statement from Alderman Bob Donovan October 15, 2014
It’s been brought to my attention that the officer involved in the Red Arrow Park shooting has been or will soon be fired by the Milwaukee Police Department. If that is indeed the case, I am saddened and sickened by the way it seems some people are apparently playing politics.
I find it hard to believe that, without looking over the report from the Wisconsin Department of Justice and without yet knowing the district attorney’s decision, Chief Flynn feels he has sufficient grounds at this point to fire this officer. Decisions like this need to be based on facts and should not be influenced by anything other than a thorough investigation.
Although I too am frustrated with how long the process is taking, firing this officer now is unjust and unfair. Cooler heads need to prevail, and before decisions like this are made, we need to know what the investigation revealed.
Even if the officer was guilty of these alleged rule violations, under normal circumstances they would never, be considered grounds for firing. To me, this entire matter reeks of politics.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by State Rep. Bob Donovan
Flynn’s news conference made it pretty clear the officer was not following proper procedures. 14 gunshots – doesn’t that seem excessive?
WI Dept of Justice will recommend whether he be legally charged, a separate issue than being fired form police force. Note that Flynn did not support charging the officer.
Clearly something is wrong in this situation, pointing out Milwaukee’s need to work with chronically mentally ill people in a much better fashion.
The politics of Bob Donovan reek the most.