"It's important to follow the rules:" Mayor Barrett, Chief Flynn speak out on Manney appeal hearing verdict

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- In final and unanimous decisions, a Fire and Police Commission panel ruled Monday, March 23rd fired Milwaukee Police Officer Christopher Manney will not get his job back. The decisions came after a five-day appeal hearing. The FPC panel's decisions reiterated what Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Dontre Hamilton's family members have maintained all along. Chief Flynn and Mayor Barrett spoke out on the ruling Tuesday.

"We know Christopher Manney didn`t do his job properly. We`ve been stating that to this Fire and Police Commission for a long time. We are happy with the decision. There is still more to come," Dontre Hamilton's brother Nate Hamilton said.

The Hamilton family is grateful that despite the Milwaukee County District Attorney declining to criminally charge Manney in connection with the fatal shooting of Dontre Hamilton last April in Red Arrow Park -- he will never be a Milwaukee police officer again.

"Christopher Manney was not remorseful for his mistakes. Not once did he apologize to my family," Nate Hamilton said.

Instead, during his appeal hearing, Manney defended his pat down of Hamilton that preceded a scuffle and the fatal shooting. But ultimately, the Fire and Police Commission panel ruled Manney violated MPD policy and procedure when he performed that pat down, and also that Manney's use of force on April 30th was a violation of policy. The panel then decided to uphold Manney's permanent termination from MPD.

"It's an obligation American law enforcement must assume to maintain its credibility and legitimacy in the many communities that depend upon us to protect them," Chief Flynn said.

Mayor Barrett says the ruling speaks volumes.

"I think this sends the message to our police officers that it's important to follow the rules that we have, the training they receive," Mayor Barrett said.

Although Dontre Hamilton's life and Christopher Manney's job were lost as a result of this incident, Mayor Barrett was able to find something positive in this case. He says the fatal officer-involved shooting has sparked changes he says will better the Milwaukee Police Department and benefit the community.

"To have the critical incident training for all of our police officers -- I made that commitment the end of 2017. All of our officers will receive that training," Mayor Barrett said.

Chief Flynn says it brings attention to the fact that crisis intervention for police officers is not a substitute for help for those who suffer from mental illness.

"Our political systems delegated almost all it's social problems to the criminal justice system and that starts with  the police and that creates a burden over and above the burden we have to fight violent crime," Chief Flynn said.

The Hamilton family says they plan to take their case to Washington.

“Now – we go to Washington. We’re going to the federal government to tell them we won’t stop. We are going in a month. We have about 200 organizations all around the state that are going to meet us there. We want to live in our communities and feel safe with the police — not afraid to leave their home. We want to call people that are actually going to do their job and protect us, and that’s why we’re going to Washington,” Maria Hamilton said.

“We have become activists. We have become a voice for Milwaukee, and we’re humbled by it. We have so much more to do and we will not stop until justice covers this world, until justice covers this nation. We are not going to stop until the world is changed,” Nate Hamilton said.

As it relates to the community, Mayor Barrett says this hearing was a critical juncture. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the shooting of Dontre Hamilton, Mayor Barrett says now is the time to heal, and hopefully, for the community to move forward.

Mayor Barrett issued this statement on the Fire and Police Commission’s decisions late Monday: