Timeline set for report on police public relations

A group gathering community feedback on strained relations between Milwaukee police and the public said it expects to present recommendations to city leaders in September.

“With the recent incident with the Milwaukee Police Department and the video released of Sterling Brown’s arrest, we were reminded of how extremely important and relevant our responsibility is,” Markasa Tucker, chair of the Milwaukee Community Collaborative Committee, said Wednesday in reference to video that surfaced of an officer’s tasing the Milwaukee Bucks player who was suspected of a parking violation.

The committee planned to release a request for proposal last week so groups can apply to review and analyze information gathered by the committee on law enforcement’s relationship with the public, committee member Tammy Rivera said.

Rivera said those groups could be consultants, academic, researchbased or nonprofit organizations. The committee will use the analysis from the selected group to continue the process of examining and improving law enforcement in Milwaukee. Once the RFP is released, the committee plans to select a group by Aug. 1.

By the end of September, Rivera said, the council should have a report of recommendation finalized and to the Common Council for its consideration in “legislation, budget and policy development.”

After that, more input from the community will be gathered, Rivera said. “Following that, we will be able to move to what is really a historical time in our city.”

The committee launched its efforts after a U.S. Department of Justice analysis of the Milwaukee Police Department was stalled between presidential administrations.

The Journal Sentinel obtained a draft of the analysis and published it last year. It contained 55 findings and 110 recommendations for the Police Department related to police-community relations, traffic stops, officer discipline and other areas.

Maria Hamilton, the mother of Dontre Hamilton, was in attendance Wednesday. Dontre Hamilton was fatally shot by a police officer at Red Arrow Park in April 2014.

“It’s going to be a long fight,” she said in an interview. But, hopefully, these partnerships will result in “the best Milwaukee for everyone.”

“It begins at home. It begins in our community. It begins at the voting booth,” Hamilton said.

Fred Royal, president of the NAACP Milwaukee Branch and committee member, said the committee asked that the unions representing rank-and-file Milwaukee police officers and police supervisors have a chance to provide input.

Royal referenced the millions of dollars spent settling lawsuits because of “police officers acting outside of the scope of services in the last eight years” and the six fire stations that have closed as a result of that.

“This has a direct impact on all of our lives,” he said during the meeting.