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FPC keeps current lieutenant exam schedule, agrees to study detectives' eligibility
Summary
The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission on July 24 approved the police lieutenant job announcement bulletin and decided to refer a review of whether detectives should be eligible for the lieutenant exam to its Testing and Recruitment Committee rather than delay the exam schedule.
The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission voted July 24 to approve the Milwaukee Police Department’s police lieutenant job announcement bulletin and to keep the department’s planned promotional schedule, while directing staff and the Testing and Recruitment Committee to study whether detectives should be eligible for the lieutenant exam.
Commissioners said operational and logistical constraints, including an established two-year promotional cycle and Human Resources capacity, made delaying the exam impractical. “If we delayed approval of the lieutenant job announcement bulletin, we would have to push back the test,” Executive Director Leon Todd said, explaining the department aims to hold the written test in October and that delaying could require extending current eligible lists, creating a multi-month gap.
The vote followed public comments and advocacy from members of the department. Detective Jake Pushing of the Milwaukee Police Department’s homicide unit told the commission he gathered a petition with more than 100 signatures from detectives asking the commission to “relook at this to allow detectives to take the exam.” Alexander Ayala, president of the Milwaukee Police Association, also urged that detectives be allowed to take the lieutenant exam and suggested creating a detective-sergeant rank if the commission did not restore direct access to lieutenant.
Opposition came from the Milwaukee Police Supervisors Organization (NPSO). Christopher Martin, representing sergeants, lieutenants and captains, said the promotional path should remain via sergeant because sergeants have hands-on supervisory experience and familiarity with compliance obligations under the Collins agreement. “Skipping the rank of sergeant will lead the department to going backwards in the progress already being made towards compliance within that agreement,” Martin said.
Human resources staff told commissioners the department typically schedules detective and lieutenant exams together for economies of scale. Jordan Hendrick, a human resources representative, warned that pushing the lieutenant and detective exams into 2026 would also push the sergeant exam into 2026 because of capacity constraints for processing candidates.
Rather than alter the current schedule, commissioners agreed to place the issue on the Testing and Recruitment Committee’s calendar so work can begin in September. Commissioner Horowitz, the chair, said the commission would “start the process of what may be needed” at committee and then return to the full commission. The motion to approve the lieutenant job announcement bulletin carried on a voice vote.
Why it matters: The decision preserves the department’s promotional timetable and prevents short-term operational gaps from expiring eligibility lists, while committing the commission to review the merit and supervisory implications of allowing detectives to pursue lieutenant promotion via a separate committee process.
What’s next: The written test was described in the meeting as planned for October (per the job announcement bulletin). The Testing and Recruitment Committee will begin work on the issue beginning in September, per commissioners’ direction.
