Milwaukee's FPC looking for community input to find next chief of police



MILWAUKEE -- Officials charged with the task of selecting Milwaukee's next chief of police have announced a community meeting. Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission members want to give the public the chance to weigh in on the ideal candidate for the job.

"I think the fire and police commissioners represent the government at its finest. We take input from the community and then we take that in and include that in our decision making process," said Steven DeVougas, chairman of the Fire and Police Commissioners.



Chairman Steven DeVougas, says the meeting will be on January 31st at the Wisconsin African-American Historical Society where the public will get the chance to weigh in on the qualifications they want to see in Chief Ed Flynn's replacement.

Ed Flynn



Steven DeVougas



"The Fire and Police Commissioners are going to try and be as transparent as possible. Obviously we have to protect people's privacy but we will do our best to keep everyone informed,' said DeVougas.

This is something representatives of faith and race-based organizations appreciate.

"From what I'm hearing so far, everyone wants to make sure that our new chief is somebody who will not just talk to the community but actually come on in and listen as well," said Darryl Morin, Community Coalition for Quality Policing.

As the city continues to tackle issues of crime and violence, activists at the meeting say this selection process is potentially the foundation of a stronger relationship between police and the community.



"The process needs to be completely and totally transparent, not halfway, not partly," said Vaun Mayes, community activist.

On February 1st, the board is expected to reveal the names of the finalists for the interim chief of police.