Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Citizen Complaints topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
FPC committee reviews 2025 citizen-complaint totals and presses staff for clearer, more frequent reporting
Summary
The oversight committee reviewed a summary showing 202 total citizen complaints in 2025 (about 134 involving MPD) and urged staff to present more granular breakdowns, clearer appeal-notice language and periodic reports; staff said detailed tracking exists and an annual report is forthcoming.
The Fire and Police Commission's Oversight and Accountability Committee examined a communication summarizing citizen complaints and pressed staff for clearer public reporting and improved guidance for complainants.
Executive Director Leon Todd told the committee the FPC received 202 citizen complaints in 2025: about 134 involved the Milwaukee Police Department, 15 involved the fire department, 4 involved the Department of Emergency Communications (DEC), and 49 alleged matters were outside FPC jurisdiction. Year-to-date, FPC staff reported 47 complaints in 2026, 31 involving MPD.
Mark Banks, an FPC investigator, told commissioners the office tracks complaints under broader headings in public summaries — "department services," "department procedure," and "use of force" — but that the internal tracking sheet captures more specific allegations (for example, stops, searches, or use-of-force subtypes). Banks said staff can produce more fine-grained reporting in the annual report.
Commissioners asked whether complaints could be aggregated by alleged constitutional-right violations (for example, unreasonable search and seizure or First Amendment concerns) so the public could better understand patterns. One commissioner noted the publicly visible 'sustained' outcome rate appears low and urged an internal audit of the complaint process to identify where complainants disengage or cases fall short of a 'satisfying' outcome for community members. Leon Todd said investigators follow up with complainants and that a research-and-policy analyst is preparing a 2025 annual report and related analyses; staff estimated that more detailed reports could be available in about 4–6 weeks.
On appeals and disposition notices, commissioners recommended clarifying intake materials and adding information to disposition letters about appeal rights; Todd said the intake guidelines on the FPC website describe the appeal process, and staff can add notice language to disposition letters if the commission wishes, though he noted it might increase appeals volume.
The committee treated the citizen-complaint summary as a communication file and took no formal action at the meeting. Staff will provide the more detailed annual report and consider commissioners' requests for clearer public-facing categories and appeal notifications.
