List of chiefs of the Milwaukee Police Department

Last updated

Chief of the
Milwaukee Police Department
Incumbent
Jeffrey B. Norman
since December 2020 [lower-alpha 1]
Milwaukee Police Department
Type Chief of police
AppointerFire and Police Commission
PrecursorCity sheriff
Inaugural holder William Beck
Formation1855;169 years ago (1855)

The chief of the Milwaukee Police Department is the executive responsible for the Milwaukee Police Department. The position was established in 1855 by mayor James B. Cross to replace the position of city sheriff. He appointed William Beck, a former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, as the first chief, a position he held until his resignation in 1861; he later served two more non-consecutive terms. The mayor directly appointed the position, which caused the position to have a spoils system. [2] [3] The Fire and Police Commission was founded in 1885 with the sole authority to select and remove chiefs, replacing the previous system. In 1888, the commission fired Florian J. Ries, who had been appointed by Mayor Emil Wallber, and selected John T. Janssen, who served as chief until his resignation in 1921. [4]

Contents

The department's first Hispanic chief was Phillip Arreola, who became chief in 1989 following Arreola, Arthur L. Jones became the first African American chief and Nannette Hegerty became the first female chief in 1996 and 2003, respectively. [5] The current chief is Jeffrey B. Norman, who entered office in December 2020. [lower-alpha 1] [1]

Chiefs

John T. Janssen (pictured in 1912) was chief from 1888 to 1921 and the first chief appointed by the Fire and Police Commission. John T. Janssen, Milwaukee Chief of Police (1912).jpg
John T. Janssen (pictured in 1912) was chief from 1888 to 1921 and the first chief appointed by the Fire and Police Commission.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Norman was acting chief until November 15, 2021 [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Norquist</span> American politician

John Olof Norquist is a retired American politician, urbanist consultant, and author. He served as the 43rd mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, winning four terms (1988–2004). He previously represented Milwaukee's south side in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1975–1983) and Wisconsin Senate (1983–1988). After serving as mayor, he worked for ten years as president of the Congress for the New Urbanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lipinski Stradivarius</span>

The Lipinski Stradivarius is an antique violin constructed in 1715 by the Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari of Cremona, during Stradivari's "golden period" between 1700 and 1725. There are fewer than 650 extant Stradivarius violins in the world today, and the Lipinski is considered to be a particularly fine example. In 2012, it was appraised at US$5 million.

John A. Balcerzak is an American former police officer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Black (Wisconsin politician)</span> 19th century American politician

John Black was a French American immigrant and Democratic politician. He served as the 24th mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and represented Milwaukee County for three years in the Wisconsin Legislature.

The Falk Corporation explosion refers to a large and fatal propane gas explosion at a Falk Corporation building in the industrial Menomonee River Valley neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on December 6, 2006. Three people were killed and forty-seven others injured. Cars were reportedly flipped through the air and debris scattered over several blocks. An investigation of the cause of the disaster uncovered leaks in a pipe running below the building, which supplied propane to the heating system for the complex. Several parties involved in the explosion have launched legal action in connection to the accident.

Georgia L. Thompson is a Wisconsin civil servant who was wrongfully convicted of federal corruption charges in 2006, then exonerated by an appeals court in 2007.

Steven M. Biskupic is a former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin serving under Attorneys General John Ashcroft, Alberto Gonzales and Michael Mukasey. He was appointed by George W. Bush in May 2002. Prior to his appointment, Biskupic served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 13 years, specializing in the prosecution of white-collar crime. Biskupic stepped down after the 2008 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milwaukee Police Department</span> Police department for the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Milwaukee Police Department is the police department organized under the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The department has a contingent of about 1,800 sworn officers when at full strength and is divided into seven districts. Jeffrey B. Norman is the current chief of police, serving since December 2020.

Michael Imanu McGee Jr., is an American politician who served as alderman of Milwaukee's Sixth District. He was elected in April 2004 to become along with his father, former alderman Michael McGee Sr., the first father and son in the history of Milwaukee to serve on the Common Council. His controversial tenure on the Milwaukee Common Council culminated in his arrest on Memorial Day weekend, 2007. He subsequently won the primary election from jail and lost the general election for re-election.

Pedro A. Colón is an American lawyer, jurist, and Democratic politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in the Milwaukee-based 2nd district since November 2023. He previously served 13 years as a Wisconsin circuit court judge in Milwaukee County, and prior to his judicial service, he was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly for six terms, representing the 8th Assembly district from 1999 to 2010. He was the first Latino elected to the Wisconsin Legislature, and now the first Latino to judge on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

Edward A. Flynn is an American law enforcement executive. From 2008 until 2018, Flynn served as chief of the Milwaukee Police Department. Prior to assuming that position, he served as secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security and as police commissioner in Springfield, Massachusetts. Flynn was reappointed twice to the position of Milwaukee police chief before retiring in early 2018.

Joseph J. Czarnezki is an American politician and public administrator from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served briefly as a member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, appointed by Governor Tony Evers in May 2023, his appointment was rejected by the Wisconsin Senate in October 2023, due to a controversy over the reappointment of state elections administrator Meagan Wolfe. Czarnezki previously served ten years in the Wisconsin Senate and two years in the State Assembly, representing western Milwaukee County. He also led several city departments under Milwaukee mayor John O. Norquist, served eight years as county clerk, and was a member of the Milwaukee County board of supervisors.

<i>United States v. Olofson</i>

United States v. Olofson, 563 F.3d 652 (2009), is an appellate decision in the case of David Olofson, who was convicted by a jury of knowingly transferring a machine gun in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(o). Olofson was sentenced to thirty months in prison, which he began serving after his appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit failed. The US Supreme Court declined to hear a further appeal. Olofson's case was, for a time, a minor cause célèbre in conservative media and among gun rights advocates, attracting support from, among others, Lou Dobbs of CNN and from Oath Keepers, and legal assistance from Gun Owners of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Wallach</span> American lawyer

Ian Wallach is an American lawyer and founding partner of the Law Offices of Ian Wallach, P.C. He is a legal news commentator who has appeared on regional, national, and international television and radio shows speaking on current legal issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Clarke (sheriff)</span> American sheriff (born 1956)

David Alexander Clarke Jr. is an American former law enforcement official who served as Sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, from 2002 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Dontre Hamilton</span> 2014 shooting in Red Arrow Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

On April 30, 2014, Dontre Hamilton was shot and killed by police officer Christopher Manney, at Red Arrow Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. No charges were brought, but Manney was fired from the force. As a result of the shooting and subsequent protests, Milwaukee police officers were equipped with body cameras.

Nannette "Nan" Hegerty is an American former police officer who served as the chief of the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) from 2003 to 2007. She also served as U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Wisconsin from 1994 to 2002.

On August 13, 2016, a riot began in the Sherman Park neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sparked by the fatal police shooting of 23-year-old Sylville Smith. During the three-day turmoil, several people, including police officers, were injured and dozens of protesters arrested. A nightly curfew was set up for teenagers in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Republican National Convention</span>

The 2024 Republican National Convention is an event in which delegates of the United States Republican Party will select the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2024 United States presidential election. It is scheduled to be held July 15 to 18, 2024, at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

William Beck was a German-born American politician and police officer who served as a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 1852 session. He was also the first chief of the Milwaukee Police Department from 1855 to 1861, 1863 to 1878, and 1880 to 1882.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hughes 2021.
  2. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 9.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 14.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 10.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 12.
  6. 1 2 Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 15.
  7. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 16.
  8. 1 2 Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 20.
  9. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 21.
  10. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 22.
  11. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 46.
  12. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 11.
  13. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 80.
  14. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 95.
  15. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 109.
  16. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 121.
  17. Wellauer-Lenius 2008, p. 125.
  18. Diedrich & Borowski 2007.
  19. Luthern 2018.
  20. Luthern 2019.
  21. Barton & Luthern 2020.

Works cited

  • Barton, Gina; Luthern, Ashley (August 6, 2020). "Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales demoted to captain; Fire and Police Commission says he 'failed' city". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (published January 4, 2022). Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  • Diedrich, John; Borowski, Greg (January 6, 2007). "Hegerty to retire". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  • Hughes, Elliot (November 15, 2021). "Norman takes the oath as Milwaukee's 22nd police chief: 'I am without a doubt ready'". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  • Luthern, Ashley (January 9, 2018). "Who will be named acting chief of the Milwaukee Police Department? A look at likely candidates". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  • Luthern, Ashley (December 13, 2019). "'No rush for us to hand out a four-year term': When will Milwaukee know if the police chief is getting another term?". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (published January 5, 2022). Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  • Wellauer-Lenius, Maralyn (February 2008). Milwaukee Police Department. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   9780738551722.