Milwaukee Officials Threaten Legal Action To Access Federal Review Of Police Department

Milwaukee aldermen are threatening to sue to gain access to results of a federal review of the city’s police department.

Police Chief Ed Flynn requested the review nearly two years ago after Dontre Hamilton, an unarmed black man, was shot 14 times and killed by Officer Christopher Manney in a city park.

Alderman Robert Bauman said releasing the results could help benefit police and community relations.

“Why hide it?” Bauman said. “Why sit on it, and allow misunderstandings and misconceptions to prevail? If there is good factual information that is favorable to the way police conduct their business, then put it out there.”

Bauman said they would like to discuss the results with the police department.

“We want access to documents in your possession and information that we think is relevant to the way policing is conducted in Milwaukee,” he said. “We should at least have access to see it and read it, even if we don’t get a physical copy of it.”

Bauman said the Milwaukee Common Council filed an open records request to see the results but the request was denied.

The Police Department said in a statement the results of the review can’t be released since they are a draft and property of the U.S. Department of Justice.