City leaders react after Flynn addresses crime reporting

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn addressed a Common Council committee Thursday, June 21st, regarding allegations his department has misreported crime numbers. This, following a newspaper investigation found more than 500 serious assaults misclassified as minor offenses.

During his testimony Thursday, Flynn indicated system improvements are already occurring. He says a targeted audit of the system is complete and a full scientific audit is underway.

Flynn says mis-classifications were due to the system’s deficiencies and human errors.

"I'm also quite frankly indignant that the assertion is made implicitly or explicitly that there some sort of vast conspiracy in the upper levels of this police department to mislead the public about the levels of safety in this community," Flynn said Thursday.

Flynn said the audit of six years of crime reporting showed that despite some errors, crime has trended downward.

Once Flynn's presentation wrapped up at City Hall, it didn't take long for individuals across the city to react.

Several aldermen attacked the newspaper and the media at large for not providing enough context.

The Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel has defended its investigation into MPD's crime numbers. The paper's editor in chief said they provided as much context as possible with the information released to them by MPD. Borowski said the paper is currently in a legal battle, trying to get more documents made available to them by MPD.

"We feel very strongly that our reporting was accurate and if anything, the reporting that the chief presented shows that we have not yet even seen the full measure of how many crimes were miss reported to the FBI," Journal Sentinel Editor Greg Borowski said.

Milwaukee's Mayor, Tom Barrett, said Thursday he stands by Chief Flynn and the Milwaukee Police Department, and that the newspaper has an agenda.

"It helps sell newspapers. It creates the image that the city is unsafe. I take personal umbrage with that, as the mayor of this city, that the goal is to try to make this city look unsafe," Mayor Barrett said.

Borowski also dismissed any speculation the release of the story was politically timed, because of the recall election, saying "we publish stories when they're ready."

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