Milwaukee police's 15-day video release policy will not be in effect during 2024 Republican National Convention
For two weeks during the 2024 Republican National Convention, Milwaukee’s Fire and Police Commission has agreed to suspend its recently approved 15-day video release policy for police shootings and other similar incidents.
Police Chief Jeffrey Norman requested the suspension, arguing the policy could create conflicts with out-of-state and federal law enforcement agencies that are expected to have a significant presence during the convention.
The convention is officially set to run July 15-18, 2024, but the suspension will last from July 12-26. As of April, officials estimated it would require 4,500 additional officers from outside agencies to help with security as 50,000 visitors are expected to descend on the city.
Passed in April, the new policy requires the Milwaukee Police Department to release body camera and other footage of critical incidents within 15 days, with no exceptions. Family members of victims are given access to footage within 48 hours.
Critical incidents are defined as police shootings, in-custody deaths and other police-related incidents that result in death or serious injury. Few police agencies in the U.S. have a policy for releasing such footage, and among those who do, details of the policies vary widely.
“This vote this evening does not indicate any lack of support for (the video release policy) from either the commission or our Chief of Police Jeffrey Norman,” Ed Fallone, the chair of the commission, said after the vote Thursday. “The commission still fully embraces the wisdom and necessity of (the policy). We’re simply reacting to a request from our police chief that will assist him in preparing for security and a successful Republican National Convention.”
Fallone and Norman declined after the meeting to elaborate further on the potential conflicts of the policy during the convention.
Vote was quickly called
The commission voted 6-3 to suspend the policy after hearing a presentation from Norman and members of his executive command staff in a closed session hearing.
Voting in opposition were Commissioners Amandas Avalos, Bree Spencer and Dana World-Patterson. The latter two said they were not prepared to vote because they did not have enough information.
The vote was hastily called in open session – prior to anyone from the public having a chance to comment on the proposal. Fallone apologized for the rushed nature of the vote and explained two commissioners wouldn’t have a chance to vote on the matter if public comment was heard first.
After the vote, Commissioners Ruben Burgos and Miriam Horwitz, who participated virtually, exited the meeting.
Omar Flores, a member of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, which pushed the commission for a quicker video release timeline, slammed the decision to hold the vote prior to public comment. He called the move “totally absurd.”
“You did not hear from us,” he said during public comment.
Concern over conflicts with other agencies has been raised before
The department’s concern about conflicts with other agencies are somewhat similar to issues raised by suburban Milwaukee departments as the commission considered the new video release policy.
Officials from the Milwaukee Area Investigative Team, or MAIT, told commissioners during a public hearing that a 15-day public release deadline and the access granted to families would complicate investigations into sensitive incidents like police shootings.
They also pointed out that no other agency involved in MAIT has such requirements.
MAIT is a collection of Milwaukee-area police agencies that pool resources to act as outside investigators when one of its member departments is the subject of a critical incident investigation.
At one point, Waukesha Police Chief Daniel Thompson suggested the policy could force MAIT to refuse to investigate critical incidents in Milwaukee. But after the policy was unanimously approved by the commission in April, Fallone said he did not anticipate any issues.
During the 14-month process to craft the video release policy, Norman and his administration lightly pushed back against 15-day and 48-hour provisions, favoring instead to codify its informal practice of releasing footage in about 45 days.
However, Norman said multiple times the department would accept whatever the commission decided.
Policy faces legal challenge from union
The vote comes within a week of a Milwaukee County judge placing a temporary injunction on the new video release policy.
The Milwaukee Police Association, the union representing rank-and-file members, has challenged the policy’s legality on the grounds that the city did not satisfy collective bargaining obligations prior to implementing it.
The temporary injunction will last until at least the next court hearing, June 28.
Contact Elliot Hughes at [email protected] or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee police video release policy to be suspended during 2024 RNC
