Milwaukee Police Department Statement Regarding Video Release Policy

MILWAUKEE, WI— On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, at approximately 10:30 p.m. an officer-involved shooting incident occurred on the 4300 block of W. Capitol Drive. The suspect, wanted for a double non-fatal shooting incident, fired numerous shots at police officers at which time officers subsequently discharged their weapons striking the suspect. A press release issued after the incident highlighted that video related to the incident would be released in accordance with MPD’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 575, Video Release Policy.

SOP 575 was approved by the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission (FPC) after significant discussion and input from many including the community and agency partners. SOP 575 requires MPD to provide an opportunity to view relevant video footage to the next of kin of an individual who is deceased as a result of an officer-involved incident within 48 hours. The policy requires the public release of relevant video footage to the public within 15 days for all incidents when an individual is deceased or injured.

MPD acknowledges that body worn camera footage from a recent incident involving an outside agency was released within hours of the incident, but wants the community to know that each police department has its own distinct policies it must follow.

While MPD is committed to transparency with our community, MPD must always carefully balance our community’s varied interests, the rights of all parties involved including our members, adherence to policy, risk management and the input of our agency partners.

As we are wrapping up the safety operations of the Republican National Convention, we are grateful for our community’s patience.

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.