Milwaukee Police Chief refutes claims made in lawsuit

On Wednesday, February 22, 2017, Chief Edward A. Flynn of the Milwaukee Police Department held a press conference to refute claims made in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU.
Prior to the press conference Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn issued the following written statement: “The Milwaukee Police Department has never used the practice of “stop and frisk,” nor has there ever been a quota for traffic stops. However, traffic stops in high crime areas have been proven to reduce the number of non-fatal shootings, robberies, and motor vehicle thefts. No discussion of our crime tactics is complete without reference to the hyper-victimization of disadvantaged communities of color by high rates of violent crime. But MPD considers it our moral duty to confront violence where it occurs. Towards that end, our officers take physical risks every day implementing the ethical and constitutional anti-crime strategies of the MPD.”
MPD released 2016 crime data recently that indicated 79% of homicide victims and 75% of aggravated assault victims were African American. 81% of homicide suspects and 85% of aggravated assault suspects were African American.
During the last nine years, as measured by UWM, citizen complaints have significantly declined and favorable public opinion of MPD has risen, despite the increase in proactive police activity. Among those cited by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as complainants in the suit, none of them have filed complaints with the Milwaukee Police Department or the Fire and Police Commission.