Wise Appointment of Jeffrey Norman Gives the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners a Chance to Pause

I want to begin by joining with my colleagues Alderman Michael Murphy, Alderman Robert Bauman, and Alderwoman Chantia Lewis who have praised the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners for its appointment of Jeffrey Norman as acting chief of the Milwaukee Police Department. He has earned the trust of many on the Council and in the community. Frankly, I was surprised he was not selected as one of the finalists for the position, but I am glad he has been chosen for this role and he is willing to serve.

Acting Chief Norman’s 24 years of experience on the force and his skill as a manager and a police officer give the board and the City an opportunity that should not be lost. We all heard last night that former Chief Morales was reinstated to his position by a judge. No one yet seems to know what this means, but it will likely be some time before a settlement of the matter can be reached.

And the board appears no closer to choosing a permanent replacement for the former chief than it was two weeks ago.

As some of my colleagues have said, the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners should immediately pause its process for the recruitment of a new chief.  Let Acting Chief Norman run the department. He is more than able. Let the Office of the City Attorney work to settle matters with the former chief. And, please, let the board take a moment to think about how it is that we all got here and what can be done to try and prevent it from ever happening again.

With less than a week to go until Christmas, we could all do with a little peace.

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.