FPC launches Milwaukee Collaborative Reform Initiative Community Feedback Portal
The FPC and MPD are committed to continuing the community conversation started during the US DOJ Collaborative Review process.
As part of the recently announced Milwaukee Collaborative Reform Initiative (MKECR), the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission (FPC) is pleased to announce a new web portal to offer the residents of the City of Milwaukee an opportunity to read, review, learn about and comment on the findings and recommendations contained in the draft US Department of Justice (US DOJ) Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) assessment report. The web address of the portal is:
http://city.milwaukee.gov/MKECR
The FPC and MPD are committed to continuing the community conversation started during the US DOJ Collaborative Review process. In September of 2017 the US DOJ halted Milwaukee’s federal review before producing a final report. Regardless, city officials recognize the significance of the work performed during the original process, including the public input gathered, and are determined that the collaborative reform process not be left unresolved. Toward this goal, the FPC and MPD have facilitated the development of a locally-led Milwaukee Collaborative Reform Process (MKECR).
“After the decision by the US DOJ that Milwaukee’s Collaborative Review process would be halted, it was clear to all involved that we would need to find our own way to see the process to completion. As the FPC board chairman, I’m pleased that our community is engaged in this work and look forward to the continuation of this process,” said FPC chairman Steven M. DeVougas.
The MKECR web portal organizes the draft US DOJ report’s findings and recommendations and provides informative responses and context for each one from the FPC and MPD. Users can add their own comments and suggestions for each recommendation to the portal, creating an online community conversation working toward the development of actionable solutions to issues identified in the draft report.
Speaking to the importance of this tool, Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton states, “The online portal was created in keeping with our shared commitment to transparency during this process and ensuring that the public can share input in variety of ways. Input from the community remains among our highest priorities as we move toward the implementation of recommendations that are intended to improve police-community relations and trust.”
The MKECR web portal will support the work of the Collaborative Community Committee (CCC) that has been developed by members of the Milwaukee Common Council. The CCC is chaired by Markasa Tucker, Director of the African-American Roundtable, and is a diverse cross section of engaged community members. This group will be holding public meetings to discuss the draft report findings and recommendations, summarize community input gathered, prioritize recommendations, and report their findings to city government. Upcoming community meetings organized by the CCC will be posted on the MKECR portal, and summaries of each meeting will be posted there as well.
Markasa Tucker adds, “The Collaborative Community Committee urges community members to utilize the MKECR portal to not only provide their responses to the findings, but to also take time to educate themselves by reading the US DOJ’s draft report. We want residents to know that the Collaborative Community Committee is working very closely with the Fire and Police Commission to ensure this process is transparent and accessible to all residents in the City of Milwaukee.”
As the civilian oversight body for the Milwaukee police and fire departments, the FPC is committed to ensuring that policies and practices of the MPD and Milwaukee Fire Department, as well as our own, reflect best practices of the professions while accounting for community concerns and unique local circumstance. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett indicated his support of the Collaborative Reform process by stating, “My hope is that this effort receives broad community support and that as a city we move forward together.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.
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