[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6638007,"mediaKeyId","2578031-e61a46ec2389d0acc9be17a2dc9ceceb","parentId",2578031,"title","Committee reviews proposal to raise veteran preference points in FPC hiring rules","audioSeconds",2332,"startMs",2923000,"endMs",5255000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2578031-e61a46ec2389d0acc9be17a2dc9ceceb&start=2923&end=5255","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2578031-e61a46ec2389d0acc9be17a2dc9ceceb/thumbnail_2923000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6638007/Milwaukee/Milwaukee-County/Wisconsin/Committee-reviews-proposal-to-raise-veteran-preference-points-in-FPC-hiring-rules","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6638007-b69bcf317a2b4d67a287aa97c93fbe07/orig.mp4?Expires=1775484241&Signature=TrhDr7HZDo4fWfOUb39rmclg6wFe0-cbgPZg3brafPgfqyv4GfVKJoNZimTjVEhko4XDcSSowaAexcDleGG7HanmQTjm3AMVwxRQ5bVtVEZ6t3he4Bk-69x9Gcnfy3rXcp~IHzZQfZR2gxdD~kJNb-8obdNE~XoNwIRDMi3z~yMhX-5FRPnTUiX1vaTVi8spCKYQbR6ZV0CEHKyj1-dFkjoolwLiMI~r10c3FKsvTssfCHNhkxJqiV27L9k5Tr~NMdvhby6vPNv--BMaNa4Kpq4h8TYvMlTMNPoTv~gzGDvvdOmPqy~JdmBJJGFPM9ODLxIuxQ8yFNoDCW1sM8a~-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Milwaukee","date","2025-03-11T17:29:00Z","article","The FPC Testing and Recruitment Committee on March 11 considered a staff communication proposing an amendment to FPC Rule 8, Section 6(a), to increase preference points for veterans on entry‑level and lateral police and fire hiring.

Committee members were told the proposal, requested by city personnel advocates, would increase veterans' preference from the current three points to a scale tied to veterans' status (10 points for qualifying veterans, higher for certain disabled‑veteran categories), aligning FPC practice with the City Service Commission and state statute. \"This would bring FPC rules in line with current CSC rules regarding the number of preference points that veterans receive,\" a staff member said during committee discussion.

Staff also flagged a related procedural issue: the commission's current aggregate cap on preference points is 10. Under the proposed veteran point levels, commissioners discussed whether to raise the maximum aggregate cap — staff suggested a cap of at least 20 to allow combinations of veteran, residency and education preferences without exceeding the ceiling.

Commissioner Horowitz asked whether testing experts had reviewed potential unintended consequences of heavier veteran preference weighting on eligibility lists. Molly Keither Steele, staffing services manager, said that some candidates already receive 10 preference points in the current system (e.g., residency plus education) and that the city is not currently in a position where an eligible list lasts more than one recruit class for police officer: \"There is not we aren't in a situation where some people are gonna be hired before others because we're hiring every single person that makes it through the process,\" she said.

Committee members asked staff to bring more historical context on why veteran points had previously been reduced to three and to provide a full review of preference-point categories and caps. No formal committee vote occurred; staff said the proposal will be converted to a resolution file for the full FPC to consider.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Milwaukee - FPC TESTING AND RECRUITING COMMITTEE on 2025-03-11 5:30 PM - Amended Agenda - Mar 11, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Committee members discussed a proposal to increase veterans' preference points in FPC hiring rules (proposed alignment with City Service Commission and state statute), and debated raising the aggregate cap on preference points; staff will bring more history and analysis to the full board.","taxTitle","Milwaukee , Milwaukee County, Wisconsin","taxId",2851,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6638012,"FPC recruiters outline expanded advertising and outreach for police hiring, spotlighting Spanish-language and community testimonials",2391,1849000,4240000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2578031-e61a46ec2389d0acc9be17a2dc9ceceb&start=1849&end=4240","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2578031-e61a46ec2389d0acc9be17a2dc9ceceb/thumbnail_1849000.jpg","/articles/6638012/Milwaukee/Milwaukee-County/Wisconsin/FPC-recruiters-outline-expanded-advertising-and-outreach-for-police-hiring-spotlighting-Spanish-language-and-community-testimonials","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6638012-00bee77f951ac81382c8c0cb5bb12e20/orig.mp4?Expires=1775484241&Signature=TvoerAnp6ZhL-8b8ezTkcuExFBspVX~BGYWIs4D0~RkzBE8zU2uhqemlss3wtFY2IRUMSv-l~8Mgg7WUikDeZePlQZ3rDxFjjQ-ay-1FXfnLs8gY4Tsq3h0B1yUD5AW1y4cbReSmEwQqzUcCPvZU3GGD1OVJg-CwOceT-G2tMwmrxFVdpdkPtbYSMpk8oVWGQsLm9UvlkEr2aUQn0tUrizasZejTLZzQBA1uxCEAUW0pFUv5M4V~LVk2jgLAe9p1qVy12XhjrqlJ4Ot~zhaEzIt7DgkA4EFoC47PukFf4Hgel7klWAa7JVDy7ok9u9gqIHmAemiCvMcVIQO1VkXdsw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","FPC recruiters and Milwaukee Police Department staff told the Testing and Recruitment Committee on March 11 about an expanded, multi-channel recruitment and advertising plan aimed at increasing applications and diversifying candidate pools for police officer positions.

Staffers described partnerships with Fox 6 News and CBS for streaming TV advertising, targeted social-media and search advertising, bus advertisements in Milwaukee and nearby counties, and mall and theater placements. \"Google Search... brought in about 39.52 percent of individuals who applied,\" recruiter Jordan Dickerson said, and recruiters reported referral, Indeed and Google as top sources of applicants in 2024. Recruiters said referral accounted for roughly 19% of applications last year.

The plan will lean more heavily on officer testimonials and community‑rooted creative. Recruiters said they filmed testimonial spots with officers who grew up in the city and plan targeted Spanish-language commercials with Officer Raul Ornelas. \"While a household might be bilingual... the parents will receive that commercial in Spanish while the 18‑year‑old teen will receive it in English,\" Jocelyn Morales said, describing device- and language-targeted streaming advertising.

Recruiters also proposed expanding bus ads beyond Milwaukee to Waukesha and Racine and identified Mayfair Mall and movie-theater pre‑show ads as previously successful placements. They said podcast advertising (through iHeartMedia last year) delivered notable spikes in applications and that they will run a longer-duration, repeated-exposure campaign rather than a single broad blast: \"We would rather reach 300,000 people and allow them to see a video or a commercial three to four times rather than 500,000 people seeing a commercial one time,\" Dickerson said.

The committee heard details about the police‑aid pipeline and compensation. Molly Keither Steele, staffing services manager, said police aids earn approximately $17.84 an hour ($1,427.46 biweekly, roughly $37,000 annually) with a 3% residency incentive for Milwaukee residents (about $37,513 annually). She said the majority of police aids historically progress to sworn officer status and that three current police‑aid participants have applied to become officers.

Recruiters described a newly implemented employee referral incentive: $500 for city employees and either an eight‑hour shift of extra vacation or cash/pay for police union members when a referred candidate is hired. Staff said the FPC plans to include the recruitment plan in a footnote to this year's budget and will submit a fuller plan to the Common Council next week.

Commissioners offered suggestions — including targeting graduations, college career centers and using local graduates in testimonial spots — and cautioned against overly militarized imagery in ads. Staff said they will incorporate commissioners' feedback as they finalize materials. No formal vote was taken; staff said they will incorporate the presentation into a recruitment plan to be submitted to the Common Council.","FPC staff and Milwaukee Police recruiters described a multi-platform advertising plan — TV streaming spots with Fox 6 and CBS, bus ads across multiple counties, targeted social media and testimonials, Spanish-language outreach, and renewed emphasis on referrals and police‑aid pipeline — intended to increase and diversify police applicants.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6638018,"Milwaukee Police outlines civilianization hires, says forensic staffing near full strength",721,1123000,1844000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2578031-e61a46ec2389d0acc9be17a2dc9ceceb&start=1123&end=1844","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2578031-e61a46ec2389d0acc9be17a2dc9ceceb/thumbnail_1123000.jpg","/articles/6638018/Milwaukee/Milwaukee-County/Wisconsin/Milwaukee-Police-outlines-civilianization-hires-says-forensic-staffing-near-full-strength","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6638018-4120e622536dcaae20684f570b1acb39/orig.mp4?Expires=1775484241&Signature=j1jBm~m5e2kS0pBWg2NpKUUmyXa7k44m3GhuYL5IjRU8pL0EdSAUAnEIWh5wdpuY-2xBqqx2vplu~6HNv9N4Sn1qcIIF~~LXlAQqx7pBrcLRnty5eVyjWpri58VceP8S-jNIJZOGwOq67eHN9vdVamKF7A7297ZyhdP0wvPS1Io1UOPgOQRKmHFv8Vyylh~KY0DomzJCG1EBgw1EVVva6qzc9LTQ-cN3UnV~SQKxOlMSQK~S534F1H99VMD3waGpyjh-EzoFc-lfLESgzZu6yZ~Wz60KJV2OCIfFaz~J-SqHrXWt7z1mDxjPBqxKIe-aLUZpPWRCzXIT~chBqzSCYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Milwaukee Police Department forensics leaders updated the Fire and Police Commission Testing and Recruitment Committee on March 11 about civilianization and staffing progress in the forensics division.

\"We hired on 11 crime scene investigators and 5 crime scene supervisors last year; of those 16 members, we currently have 15 still retained with the department,\" said Bridal Orlovsky, director of the forensics division. She said the hires collectively logged community service and supported department events and that the division recently extended offers to 14 additional crime scene investigators who will begin April 14 and enter an eight‑week academy training.

Orlovsky and Inspector Paul Lau said the department expects to be at or near full staffing for several forensic roles this year and outlined further civilian hires. The forensics division plans to hire four additional forensic identification processors to reach a total of six civilian processors; those staffers will handle booking-review duties, documentation of tattoos and booking photos, and timely submission of paperwork to the state. Orlovsky said the division also expects to recommend promotions for roughly half of last year's crime scene investigator hires to a level 2 classification to support the in‑house evidence lab.

Committee members asked about sworn staffing and response times. MPD staff said there are roughly 14 sworn forensic investigators remaining, about four sworn latent‑print examiners, one sworn evidence-management officer and one sworn sergeant (identified as Kristen Reeg) assigned to forensics; staff said two sworn retirements are expected in July. Orlovsky said minimum forensic shift staffing is now four personnel per shift \"unless there's any exigent reasons why we would not,\" and that minimum has doubled compared with last year.

Staff also said the department submitted a forensics manager job description (a civilian, lieutenant‑level position) to human resources and the budget office and requested a market study for latent‑print civilianization to allow civilian backfilling of those duties.

Committee members asked for numeric response-time data and shift‑level staffing breakdowns; Orlovsky said anecdotal reports indicate response times have improved and staff will try to provide concrete numbers for a future meeting. No formal committee action was taken; staff said they will return with further updates.","Milwaukee Police Department forensic leaders told the FPC committee they have hired civilians and plan additional hires — including crime scene investigators, crime scene supervisors and forensic identification processors — and reported improved minimum shift staffing and plans for a forensic manager job and latent‑print civilianization.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6638022,"FPC committee reviews plan to add seniority preference for heavy equipment operators in fire promotions",915,205000,1120000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2578031-e61a46ec2389d0acc9be17a2dc9ceceb&start=205&end=1120","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2578031-e61a46ec2389d0acc9be17a2dc9ceceb/thumbnail_205000.jpg","/articles/6638022/Milwaukee/Milwaukee-County/Wisconsin/FPC-committee-reviews-plan-to-add-seniority-preference-for-heavy-equipment-operators-in-fire-promotions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6638022-29a690ae20489ec3a1499cb68d1aa502/orig.mp4?Expires=1775484241&Signature=SA1KTR5o6H2REFHZ-OgZPWxBrtYV6m5NIVY60xpEnlzW2t2H6alrCUgorAJTTCkH9suS4JZHUZ2SnD4VFJO-wDFuTcXpCDeqYnqsFPVpC4hf-SsDsdG2-sV~tMlBI-mn0q1SQjQkPymBHWRyNCBge8bVsDJzBypJgp877qD-2HaDWL2odLj4gCms3ugAPklHBjiLy~JHzReBRUD0LD9pGTalJY3dk7wOAL7IQj3hv1dVD2Af6q7IAeM0hdtMqqV9airOBN~ikW8F7PYRjVbkyEMrLLszpBfgcKPu4SbZlwe7SWXNSo2nEWpVuBXb0b4AFF-9Xfh1PwZsSV0YFqE0lg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Fire and Police Commission (FPC) Testing and Recruitment Committee on March 11 heard a Milwaukee Fire Department proposal to award additional seniority or preference points for experience as a heavy equipment operator (HEO) on later promotional exams for fire lieutenant and captain.

The proposal, presented by Assistant Chief Josh Parrish and FPC Executive Director Leon Todd, is intended to encourage department members to serve as HEOs by recognizing that that experience can make candidates more competitive on subsequent promotional lists. \"Seniority is actually a percentage of your total score,\" Assistant Chief Josh Parrish said, describing the existing scoring structure and why staff want the commission to review the math before assigning additional points.

The change is part of a broader effort to address staffing shortages at the HEO rank. \"We have 18 vacancies out of 139 total authorized positions,\" Director Leon Todd said as background on why the department is seeking incentives. Department staff said they have run multiple recruitments without producing the number of internal candidates they want for the HEO rank.

Committee members and staff discussed technical details of how seniority and preference points are applied. Parrish and staffing services manager Molly Keither Steele explained the difference between the department's current seniority component — which operates as a percentage of an applicant's total score — and additive preference points used in other contexts. \"There's a difference between seniority points as they're done now and true preference points, which are always additive,\" Parrish said, noting the committee should avoid choosing arbitrary point values without analysis.

Staff described how HEO experience can influence longer-term career progression and how adding points at later ranks (for example, captain) could create an upstream incentive: \"If we put points at the captain's level, does that become a strong enough attractor for people to do the thing two steps before because it will make them a more competitive candidate at this later point in their career?\" Parrish said.

The draft job announcement also contains an administrative change to the continuous-service requirement for promotional eligibility. Staff clarified the bulletin would require four years \"immediately preceding the date of the written exam,\" language added to respond to a prior lawsuit that had turned on breaks in continuous service. The committee was told the draft also would treat unpaid absences totaling more than 30 days for non‑disciplinary medical or disability reasons as continuous service for eligibility so long as the applicant has the required years of actual service.

Committee members asked for more analytical modeling before any point values are adopted. \"Just adding numbers arbitrarily is always a bad idea,\" Parrish said. Staff said they will perform an analysis with the commission to determine how proposed point values would shift eligible lists and to propose an appropriate cap and structure before bringing a final change to the full commission.

No formal change or vote on the HEO preference-point proposal occurred at the committee meeting; staff said the item is being developed for later presentation to the full FPC.","Milwaukee Fire Department staff told the Fire & Police Commission Testing and Recruitment Committee they will propose adding seniority/preference points for heavy equipment operator (HEO) experience on lieutenant and captain promotional exams and will ask the commission to review the scoring structure before finalizing numbers.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee reviews proposal to raise veteran preference points in FPC hiring rules

FPC recruiters outline expanded advertising and outreach for police hiring, spotlighting Spanish-language and community testimonials

Milwaukee Police outlines civilianization hires, says forensic staffing near full strength

FPC committee reviews plan to add seniority preference for heavy equipment operators in fire promotions