Harpole retires after 33 years with city police department
Assistant chief focused on community policing
On his first day as a newly minted Milwaukee police captain, James Harpole went to a neighborhood job fair in his district.
A woman approached him at the event on West Center and North 22nd streets, where a homicide had occurred the night before.
“What are you going to about homicides?” she demanded.
“I’m not going to do anything about homicides,” Harpole replied. “We’re going to do something about homicides.
“We’re going to work together — you, the neighborhood, me — and we’re going to work as a team to do something about homicides.”
It’s the same philosophy Harpole has held throughout his 33-year career in the Milwaukee Police Department.
Harpole, now an assistant chief, retired Friday.
He applied to be interim chief and was named a finalist with Inspector Michael Brunson and Capt. Alfonso Morales but decided to withdraw his candidacy. Instead, he retired the same day as his boss, Chief Edward Flynn.
The city’s Fire and Police Commission named Morales as interim chief Thursday. Harpole said he made his decision after meeting with the board.
“I just didn’t feel after my interview like I was really somebody they were looking for,” Harpole said.
“I just felt that the view was that you’re connected to (Flynn) and that’s a problem, and that’s how I felt,” Harpole said. “You know, and maybe my perception was totally wrong, but that’s how I felt.”
Harpole said he respects the commission’s authority and understands the commission chairman felt differently.
Another consideration, he said, was hearing from commission members that the interim chief might transition into being the permanent chief.
“I’ve been here a long time, and I was really thinking about that,” he said. “I didn’t want to be the permanent chief.”
In a recent interview, Harpole reflected on the changes he’s seen in his three decades on the force.
He joined the Milwaukee Police Department as a police aide after graduating from Washington High School in 1984.
At the time, the Police Department was commanded by Chief Robert Ziarnik, who was appointed after longtime Chief Harold Breier retired.
“The cops hated him,” Harpole said of Ziarnik. “And I was so new, I couldn’t understand it. He was a transformational chief.”
“The funny thing is the cops hated Breier, too, because he was such a strict, harsh disciplinarian,” he said.
The ’80s brought new crime problems — gangs and the crack cocaine epidemic — that continued into the ’90s with Milwaukee’s most infamous serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer.
“It was like literally being hit over the head with a hammer, not expecting it,” Harpole said. “We went from this relatively peaceful, quiet city to one of the 10 most violent cities within a couple of years.”
An estimated 800 to more than 1,000 nonfatal shootings occurred annually in the time period, according to Harpole, who consulted with experts at the Medical College of Wisconsin to calculate that figure. In recent years, the city has had between 500 and 600 nonfatal shootings annually.
“It’s the time period that the city is just shaken to its very core, and that’s where some of these neighborhoods became scarred and they still haven’t recovered today,” he said.
Harpole gravitated toward community policing and continued to rise through the ranks.
He worked in internal affairs, serving as a supervisor during the Frank Jude investigation. Off-duty officers beat Jude at a party in Bay View in 2004. Seven officers were convicted of crimes. Nine officers were fired, the largest purge in the department’s history.
In 2005, he became a captain, overseeing Police District 3, where some residents still talk about him in glowing terms.
When the woman approached him at the job fair and asked about homicides, he thought back to 1996 when his cousin was killed in a drive-by shooting.
“I remember how devastating it is to get a call,” he said. “It felt like getting kicked in the stomach. You never think it’s going to happen to your family.”
In 2007, Harpole was a finalist to become the city’s next police chief. He lost to his current boss, but Flynn quickly promoted Harpole to an assistant chief.
Harpole considers Flynn a mentor and said he brought accountability and technology to the department.
Harpole said he plans to take time off before possibly pursuing other police chief opportunities inside and outside the state. He and his wife have two daughters, ages 13 and 20.
“This is my city,” he said. “I love Milwaukee.”