Fire and Police Commission: 208 citizen complaints filed with FPC in 2024; most closed within 20 days

Maritza Ogarte, an investigator with the Fire and Police Commission, told the Oversight and Accountability Committee on Jan. 21 that the commission’s office received 208 citizen complaints in 2024 and has closed 180 of them, with 28 still open.

Ogarte said the breakdown of the 208 complaints was 146 involving the Milwaukee Police Department, nine involving the Milwaukee Fire Department, four involving the Department of Emergency Communications, and 49 that were outside FPC jurisdiction or otherwise not MPD-related. "Thus far, we've been able to close out 180, and there are 28 still open," Ogarte said.

Investigators reported an average case-closure time of about 20 days for closed complaints. Ogarte provided the committee with disposition categories used by the commission (exonerated, not sustained, sustained, unfounded, untimely) and said some matters contained multiple allegations or involved multiple officers, which can affect numeric totals.

For closed MPD complaints, Ogarte listed the most common dispositions: 51 dismissed (including untimely or out-of-jurisdiction matters), 18 unfounded, 12 sustained (with remedies such as policy review, counseling or referral to a district captain), 43 determined to have no code-of-conduct violation, five referred to MPD Internal Affairs, 15 exonerated and two resolved through rapid resolution.

For the nine fire-department complaints, Ogarte said one was unfounded, one failed intake, three had no code-of-conduct violation and one remained pending. For the four Department of Emergency Communications complaints, two resulted in sustained findings that led to coaching and two produced no code-of-conduct findings.

Ogarte also reported 16 accommodations (letters of commendation) submitted in 2024 — 15 for MPD members and one for a fire department member. She cited examples in which residents praised officers’ professionalism and empathy and described one sergeant whose assistance to a resident and her husband during a snow-related vehicle incident improved the resident’s confidence in the department.

Committee members asked for historical comparisons. An FPC commissioner noted the office received about 180 complaints in 2023 and that 2024’s total of 208 represents an increase of roughly 28 complaints year over year. The chair asked whether documentation of ordered policy reviews or discipline is recorded by MPD; Ogarte confirmed such matters are documented in the department’s internal records when the commission orders a review.

Votes at the meeting included a voice vote to approve the Sept. 24, 2024 meeting minutes (FPC 2,11923).