Activists differ on candidates

by Mikel Holt
There's a general consensus on what qualities Milwaukee’s next chief of police should possess, and also his or her priorities.

But among Black law enforcement and community activists quizzed by the Community Journal over the past two weeks, there is significant disagreement as to whether the successor to Chief Nan Hegerty should be selected from among the ranks of four MPD candidates, or from the four 'outsiders' who have made the semi finalist list.

The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission recently revealed the eight finalists for the position.

The four local candidates are Deputy Inspector Denita Ball; Deputy Inspector Ramon Galaviz; Captain James Harpole; and Deputy Chief Brian O'Keefe.

The 'national' finalists are Thomas McGuire, a former Washington, D.C. deputy chief; former Ypsilanti Police Department Chief of Police Leonard Supenski; Louis Vega, formerly with the Miami Police Department; and Ralph Chiczewski, a deputy superintendent with the Chicago Police Department.

Of the candidates, only Ball is African American.

The next chief will be named in mid-October.

Black law enforcement experts, including former Chief Arthur Jones and League of Martin President Lenard Wells believe the current MPD culture is ‘corrupted’ and that anyone hired from within the department would be tainted. While both men expressed support for Ball, the former MPD administrators believe Milwaukee will be best served by the infusion of new blood.

"Ball is outstanding," Chief Jones said Monday. "Based on her overall experience and expertise she is easily among the best of the local candidates. But this system needs new policies and procedures that would come from an outsider who is not (tainted) by the (internal culture)."

Both Jones and Wells cited the revelations of a reported White supremacist group of officers within the department who call themselves the Punishers and operate out of the 7th District station. They also note the controversy surrounding the Frank Jude assault, the apparent complicity of the department's internal affairs in an alleged cover up of that incident, and a reverse discrimination lawsuit by a group of White police officers who claimed they were better ‘qualified’ for promotion than Black officers on the promotion list.

"It's a mess," Wells said.

"The entire system is dysfunctional. And the good officers who speak out have seen their careers stagnated. I can't see someone from within being able to navigate through that mess, they will be swallowed up by the different fractions."

Talk show host Troy Shaw agreed.

"It's always better to bring in somebody from outside. I've completely lost faith in our people to run it; (they) have become hardened to the realities of what Milwaukee has become, non conducive to people living in harmony within the MPD."

Shaw, host of Focus on Diversity, believes Milwaukee is in desperate need of fresh and innovative policies that will ultimately restore the minority community's faith in the department. "If we hire someone from within, it will be same old, same old. This is a status quo city; the more things change, the more they remain the same.

"I honestly think aside from Ball, no one truly knows the plight of the average Black or Hispanic citizen who has to deal with MPD. Even some of the Black officers have become hardened. Art Jones was progressive, and was willing to put the department and city before the officers. He initiated quality of life programs that went against the status quo.

"Jones said everyone would be treated fairly. He pushed for that concept, and look at what happened to him; the officers turned against him and the mayor and Fire and Police Commission stabbed him in the back."

League of Martin President LaVerne McCoy takes a different approach. Speaking on the Morning Magazine Monday, she expressed support for Ball. McCoy shared Jones' view of her qualifications, but also believes an out of state chief would face a learning curve, and wouldn't understand the players or culture of the department.

WTMJ radio talk show host James T. Harris agreed.

"What does it say to the officers who are passed over; that there is a ceiling, that you can't move to the top?"

Apparently, the Fire and Police Commission have shared that view over the years. Only one police chief has been selected from outside the department in the last century--Phillip Arreola.

All of those questioned stressed that improving community police relations should be a top priority for the new chief. Most believed Chief Hegerty made a mistake by abandoning Jones' quality of life program.

The next chief should also take a hard line on crime, but not racial profile.

"We don't want to live in a crime haven. But do it with sensitivity and respect for everyone," Shaw said. "We want them to get the drug dealers off the street, close the drug houses, rid our community of guns. In a nutshell, be proactive and innovative. Follow that template and you'll have community support."