FPC may fire Chief Morales Thursday
Session agenda includes considering resolution
Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales said he will “serve until told otherwise” earlier this week — and that time may come as soon as Thursday.
The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission will consider a resolution to vote “on the dismissal, demotion, licensing, or discipline” of Morales in both its executive session and public regular meeting Thursday, according to an agenda released Wednesday afternoon.
It’s the latest salvo in the ongoing battle between Morales and the civilian oversight board, which reappointed Morales to a four-year term in December.
Last month, the commission issued seven pages of directives to Morales, threatening discipline up to and including termination if he does not follow them. Morales is due to provide an update on those directives at Thursday’s meeting.
“It’s no surprise, we knew the direction the Fire and Police Commission is going, which is why I hired (attorney) Frank Gimbel,” Morales told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday.
“Obviously, this is not going to be the end of it,” he said. “However, I’m in a good place. I have 27 years on this department and I have committed myself to Milwaukee and this organization. There’s an outpouring of support and at the end of the day, we’ll see what happens.”
Morales did not rule out pursuing legal action if he is fired, saying he would consult with Gimbel should that happen.
Gimbel and others have suggested the directives were setting Morales up to be fired and Gimbel said at least one
commission member had approached a possible replacement chief candidate. At the 20-minute meeting where the directives were announced, commissioners did not explain how or why the directives were drafted or how they so quickly came to agree on them, prompting criticism from advocates for transparency in government.
Morales has said he will comply with the directives, even though he and police officials have raised serious concerns about the legality of the orders. In a rebuttal report released late Wednesday, the Police Department accused the commission of breaking the law and lying when it handed down the directives, which the department said were riddled with factual errors, unclear requirements and unreasonable deadlines.
Even before the directives, Morales publicly said he believed the commission was setting him up to fail because of its inaction, including delaying votes on routine hires and promotional exams.
The commission has repeatedly canceled regular meetings, which the chairman, Steven DeVougas, has said was due to the coronavirus pandemic, even though the board has continued to call virtual special meetings on specific subjects.
For his part, Morales has been hit by criticism in recent months from other city officials ranging from the department’s use of tear gas to the discipline of an off-duty officer charged with homicide.
More than 100 protesters called for his firing before a commission meeting last month, while a smaller group of supporters also held signs outside City Hall. The same day, seven members of the Common Council said they had no confidence in Morales.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Commissioner Raymond Robakowski said he had not had a chance to review the agenda. Other commission members and the commission’s executive director did not immediately respond to emails or voicemails seeking more information about what will be considered at Thursday’s meeting.
The agenda item “raised a bunch of red flags” for Dale Bormann Jr., president of the Milwaukee Police Association, the union for rank-and-file officers, which has been a strong supporter of Morales.
“It appears at least on the surface that the FPC has probably made up their mind what they want to do with him,” Bormann said. “I think the citizens of Milwaukee don’t want to lose their chief, but the FPC is going to do whatever they want with the whole situation. I hope I’m wrong.”
Commission chair up for vote
“I’m in a good place . ... There’s an outpouring of support and at the end of the day, we’ll see what happens.” Alfonso Morales Milwaukee Police Chief
The commission agenda for Thursday also includes a vote on who should chair the civilian board. The position has the power to set the agenda and schedule and cancel meetings.
The current chairman, DeVougas, was found to have likely committed ethics violations, according to a report from an independent investigator.
The investigator, a retired federal prosecutor hired by the commission, also determined DeVougas lied about his legal representation of a politically connected real estate developer accused of sexual assault.
The same report also revealed Milwaukee police rushed to question the developer, Kalan Haywood Sr., about the rape allegation against him over the objections of the prosecutor and the victim, and while the lead investigator was on vacation.
Haywood has denied the allegation and has not been arrested or charged. The case remains open and under review by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
Morales has maintained both the timing of the out-of-custody interview and the fact that it was done at Sojourner Family Peace Center, a complex that serves domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, were appropriate. The Police Department and Sojourner had an agreement that suspect interviews would not take place at the center, but the investigator found Police Department staff, from Morales down the ranks, were unaware of the agreement.
After that investigator’s report was released, the city’s Ethics Board voted to investigate related ethics complaints filed against DeVougas by the Milwaukee Police Association.
Mayor Tom Barrett and Morales have said they have lost confidence in DeVougas. DeVougas has denied any wrongdoing and refused to step down. Barrett sent a letter to the commission Wednesday saying DeVougas should not remain as chairman and calling for an “orderly review” of the directives. The letter did not indicate if Barrett supports Morales remaining as chief and a spokeswoman for the mayor did not respond to that question, instead sending the letter.
The relationship between Morales and DeVougas began deteriorating before recent events. Morales said DeVougas tried to pressure him into firing an officer involved in the arrest of Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown during his reappointment process, according to the results of an independent investigation requested by the commission.
DeVougas has denied the allegation. The commission itself has faced ongoing challenges as its executive director — who is part of Barrett’s cabinet — withdrew from the reappointment process citing a toxic political environment while several of her former employees have accused her of mismanagement. Barrett has yet to provide a timetable to find a replacement.