Milwaukee officer suspended 15 days for integrity violation; commissioners also adopt 5‑day suspension for missed cell checks

The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission at a July 2025 hearing unanimously found Milwaukee police Officer Andrew K. Stanton violated the department's integrity requirement for ‘‘forthright and candid’’ reporting and adopted the chief's recommendation of a 15‑day unpaid suspension; the commission also adopted a previously stipulated 5‑day unpaid suspension for a separate competence violation.

The findings stem from an internal investigation into Stanton's work as the district booker on the late shift on March 25, 2023. Investigators concluded Stanton documented 14 cell‑block checks that video evidence showed he did not perform and documented an additional four checks that did not meet the department standard of occurring no more than 15 minutes apart. A prisoner in custody that night, identified in the record as Stephen J. Briggs, reported two suicide attempts while in his cell, which drew investigators' attention to the cell‑check records and video.

Assistant City Attorney Cynthia Harris Ortega, representing the chief, summarized the charges in an opening statement: "Officer Andrew Stanton...failed to make timely checks of the prisoner cells, and then he untruthfully filled out the cell check form indicating that he had completed these cell checks." Ortega told the panel the department would present video, the cell‑check forms and testimony showing the discrepancies.

Why it matters: cell‑block checks and truthful reporting are governed by department guidance and by state oversight of municipal lockups. Captain Liam Looney, who commands…