Title: Fire and Police Commission Records
Inclusive Dates: 1879-2016

Creator:

• Milwaukee (Wis.). Fire and Police Commission.

Call Number: City of Milwaukee Archival Collection 20

Quantity: 9.5 cubic ft. (24 boxes)

Repository:

Milwaukee Public Library, Frank P. Zeidler Room

Archival Location:

Milwaukee Public Library (Map)

Abstract:

Records of the Fire and Police Commission, which is responsible for the recruitment, selection, appointment, promotion and demotion of all employees and members of the Fire and Police Departments. Contains grants, correspondence, minutes, testing and recruitment decision making, photographs, reports, and investigations of misconduct. Also included are materials on the Office of Criminal Justice Programs.

Note:

To request materials from this collection, create/login to your Special Collections Account.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.mwpl-cmac0020

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The Wisconsin Statutes created the Fire and Police Commission (FPC) in 1885 to remove the fire and police services from the influences of politics. The Commission was established with five members appointed by the Mayor who served overlapping five-year terms; this was later changed and there are now seven members. The FPC establishes recruitment and testing standards, hears disciplinary appeals, investigates citizen complaints, disciplines employee misconduct, and oversees all aspects of Fire Department and Police Department operations. The FPC Office of Criminal Justice Programs provided technical assistance in grant development to agencies that sought aid through the Safe Streets Act and also submitted a City of Milwaukee Criminal Justice Improvement Plan to both the Metropolitan Criminal Justice Council and the Wisconsin Council on Criminal Justice. It also hears appeals from disciplinary actions, and grants the licenses of local detective agencies and their agents.

This collection contains grant applications and reports, legal and administrative records of alleged misconduct, appeal procedures for those denied employment, FPC and Criminal Justice Programs correspondence, FPC and Metropolitan Milwaukee Criminal Justice Council meeting minutes, Homeland Security exercises, flood of 2010 records, crime statistics, training and equipment records, testing and recruitment information with an emphasis on minorities, rules and regulations, photographs, and improvement plans for the city, metropolitan area, and state regions. Also included are the legal and administrative records of several investigations of alleged misconduct by Fire and Police Department officials. Most notable are the cases of Daniel Kennedy (1879), Florian J. Ries (1888), and Edward Wischer (1951).

The collection is arranged alphabetically, then chronologically within each folder.

City of Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission Records, 1879-2016, Collection 20. City of Milwaukee Archival Collections, Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Archival Collections

• Milwaukee Fire Department Records. City of Milwaukee Archival Collection 18.

• Milwaukee Police Department Records. City of Milwaukee Archival Collection 73.

Publications and Other Items

125th Anniversary Report : A Model for Citizen Oversight

Crime in the City of Milwaukee

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials. The collection is open to all in accordance with state law. The public may view City of Milwaukee Archival Collections by appointment at the Central Library. To request an in-person appointment, create/login to your Special Collections Account. If you have any questions, please contact the Archives and Special Collections Department at mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

Milwaukee Public Library receives official materials from city departments via the Milwaukee City Records Center, pursuant to state statutes and city ordinances governing the permanent retention of city records.

Processing Information

Processed by Robert Carter, 1997. Photographs processed by Ann Wartinbee Reeve, 1999-2000. Materials added by Bob Jaeger, 2017. Materials added by Tobias Fudge, 2023.

Box   4 Folder   1-4	Action Plan, 1970-1977
Box   1 Folder   1	Affidavits, 1951
Box   1 Folder   2	Allocation of Police Personnel, report, 1989
Box   2 Folder   1-5	Annual Reports, 1970-1990
Box   3 Folder   1-2	Annual Reports, 1991-1997
Box   1 Folder   3	Applicant Appeals, 1949
Box   4 Folder   5-7	Arson Control Program Discretionary Grant, 1976-1982
Box   5 Folder   1	Arson Task Force, 1979-1981
Box   5 Folder   2	B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, 1971-1974
Box   5 Folder   3	Center for Criminal Justice Community Cooperation and Improvement, 1975
Box   1 Folder   4	Chapter 108, Laws of, 1938
Box   5 Folder   4	City of Milwaukee emergency contact list, 2016
Box   5 Folder   5	City of Milwaukee Objections to the 1973 State Plan of the Wisconsin Criminal Justice Council, 1971-1973
Box   5 Folder   6	Commando Project I, 1968-1969
Box   5 Folder   7	Commando Project I (refunding), 1970-1972
Box   5 Folder   8	Community Centered Correctional Program refunding, 1970-1971
Box   5 Folder   9-10	Comprehensive Improvement Plan-Wisconsin Council on Criminal Justice, volume 1, 1978
Box   6 Folder   1-2	Comprehensive Improvement Plan-Wisconsin Council on Criminal Justice, volume 2, 1978
Box   1 Folder   5	Correspondence, miscellaneous, 1888-1951
Box   6 Folder   3	Cost-benefit analysis of the Milwaukee Police Department services, 1972-1974
Box   2 Folder   6	Crime in Milwaukee, reports, 1983-1987
Box   23 Folder   1	Crime Statistics, 1973-1984
Box   6 Folder   4-5	Criminal Justice Improvement Plan-Metropolitan Milwaukee Criminal Justice Council, 1975-1976
Box   7 Folder   1-6	Criminal Justice Program Memoranda, 1971-June 1974
Box   8 Folder   1-7	Criminal Justice Program Memoranda, July 1974-1976
Box   9 Folder   1	Criminal Justice Programs, 1974
Box   1 Folder   6	Depositions, investigation of Fire and Police Commission and Fire Department, 1951
Box   9 Folder   2	East Side Community Program United Community Services of Greater Milwaukee, Inc., 1972
Box   9 Folder   3	Elderly Crime Prevention Patrol, 1978-1979
Box   9 Folder   4	Equal Employment Opportunity Program Affecting Milwaukee Police Department, 1975
Box   9 Folder   5	Esperanza Unida, Inc., 1972
Box   2 Folder   7	Evaluation Report, Community Relations Mobile Unit, 1971
Box   23 Folder   2	Fire and Police Commission #2, 1974-1977
Box   23 Folder   3	Fire and Police Commission #3, 1977-1983
Box   23 Folder   4	Fire and Police Commission #5, 1977-1981
Box   9 Folder   6	Fire and Police Commission Criminal Justice Coordination, 1975-1977
Box   9 Folder   7	Fire and Police Commission Criminal Justice Planning and Coordination, 1977-1979
Box   9 Folder   8	Fire and Police Commission Juvenile Technical Assistance, 1982-1984
Box   10 Folder   1-2	Fire and Police Commission Minority Recruitment, 1971-1978
Box   10 Folder   3	Fire and Police Commission Police/Community Relations, 1968-1981
Box   10 Folder   4	Fire and Police Commission Police/Community Relations Initiative, 1981
Box   10 Folder   5	Fire and Police Commission Police/Community Relations Study, 1980-1981
Box   10 Folder   6	Fire and Police Commission Police Recruitment Program - Emphasis Minority Groups, 1968-1976
Box   10 Folder   7	Fire and Police Commission Police Specialized Training, 1972-1973
Box   11 Folder   1-4	Fire and Police Commission Police Testing and Recruitment, 1968-1982
Box   11 Folder   5	Fire and Police Commission Selection of Police Personnel, 1981-1982
Box   1 Folder   7	Fireman Organizations, undated
Box   11 Folder   6-8	Fiscal Liaison, 1971-1980
	Flood 2010
Box   12 Folder   1	2010-2011
Box   12 Folder   2	Appeal IA Survey, 2010
Box   12 Folder   3	Audit, 2010
Box   12 Folder   4	Contacts, 2010
Box   12 Folder   5	Correspondence, 2007-2011
Box   12 Folder   6	MED Evaluation and Fit Testing, 2010
Box   12 Folder   7	Public Assistance Operating Departments, 2010-2011
Box   12 Folder   8	Resources, 2010
Box   12 Folder   9	Volunteer Liability 323, 2007-2010
Box   12 Folder   10	Volunteer Resources Center, 2010
Box   12 Folder   11	Waivers/Forms, 2007-2011
Box   12 Folder   12	Funding Summaries, 1971-1978
Box   13 Folder   1	Goodwill Industries, Inc., 1971-1972
Box   13 Folder   2	Harambee House, Inc., 1970
Box   13 Folder   3	Harambee House, Inc. (refunding), 1971-1973
Box   13 Folder   4	Health Department Continuation of Crime Laboratory Services, 1974
Box   13 Folder   5	Health Department Continuation of Expanded Forensic Laboratory Services, 1973-1974
Box   1 Folder   8	Hearing on Charges before Committee on Public Utilities, 1951
	Homeland Security
Box   13 Folder   6	Falk Corporation explosion, 2006
Box   13 Folder   7	Functional Needs Emergency Sheltering Tabletop Exercise, 2011
Box   13 Folder   8	HAZMAT Functional exercise, 2011
Box   13 Folder   9	Heartland Initiative, 2009
Box   13 Folder   10	Mass Casualty Emergency Exercise, 2011
Box   13 Folder   11	Mass evacuation planning guidance, 2007
Box   13 Folder   12	Nationwide Plan review, 2010
Box   13 Folder   13	Port Security Full Scale Exercise, 2011
Box   13 Folder   14-15	Statewide Communication Interoperability Plan, 2007
Box   14 Folder   1	Wisconsin Damage Assessment Functional Exercise, 2012
Box   14 Folder   2	Horizons, Inc. - Half-way House for Women, 1972
Box   14 Folder   3	Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee Public Housing Security Study, 1971-1973
Box   14 Folder   4	Jewish Vocational Service, 1970-1972
Box   14 Folder   5	Latin Criminal Defense Project United Migrant Opportunity Services, Inc., 1972
	Library Services to Milwaukee Police Department
Box   14 Folder   6	Milwaukee Public Library Discretionary Grant, 1972-1974
Box   14 Folder   7	Milwaukee Public Library Previously Discretionary Grant, 1973-1974
	Marquette University Law School
Box   14 Folder   8	Law Projects Incorporated Projects outreach, 1970
Box   14 Folder   9	Law Student District Attorney Intern Program, 1970
Box   14 Folder   10	Martin Luther King Community School, Inc., 1971-1972
Box   14 Folder   11	Mayor's Office - United States Secret Service School, 1974-1975
	Metropolitan Council - Applications for Grant Funding
Box   14 Folder   12	1979
Box   15 Folder   1-6	1979-1980
Box   16 Folder   1-6	1981-1982
Box   17 Folder   1-2	1983-1984
	Metropolitan Milwaukee Criminal Justice Council
Box   17 Folder   3	Description, 1972-1973
Box   17 Folder   4-6	Meetings, 1971-1975
Box   18 Folder   1-5	Meetings, 1975-1976
Box   19 Folder   1	Meetings, 1976
Box   19 Folder   2	Under Interim Staff, 1972-1974
Box   19 Folder   3	Milwaukee Area Technical College Parolee Commando Project, 1970
Box   19 Folder   4	Milwaukee Boy's Club - Project Before, 1969-1970
Box   19 Folder   5-6	Milwaukee Boy's Club - Project Before (refunding), 1970-1973
Box   19 Folder   7-8	Milwaukee Commission on Community Relations - Milwaukee Youth and Community Enrichment Project, 1982-1983
Box   19 Folder   9	Milwaukee Enforcers, Inc., 1968-1971
Box   20 Folder   1-2	Milwaukee Enforcers, Inc. (refunding), 1970-1974
Box   20 Folder   3	Milwaukee Health Department Intensive Drug Abuse Prevention Education Program, 1969-1972
Box   20 Folder   4	Milwaukee Housing Authority Silver Spring Neighborhood Center, 1974-1984
Box   20 Folder   5	Milwaukee Housing Authority Silver Spring Neighborhood Center - Delinquency Prevention, 1983-1985
Box   20 Folder   6	Milwaukee Inner-City Half-Way House, 1971-1973
Box   20 Folder   7	Milwaukee Library Services Police (refunding), 1974-1975
	Milwaukee Police Department
Box   21 Folder   1	Correspondence, 1973-1976
Box   21 Folder   2	Uniform Patrol to Combat Street Crimes, 1982
Box   21 Folder   3	Milwaukee Public Schools Neighborhood Youth Corps, 1971
Box   1 Folder   9	Minutes, meetings of the Commission, 1949
Box   3 Folder   3	Miscellaneous Pamphlets and Booklets, 1985, undated
Box   21 Folder   4	Mobile Van Discretionary Grant, 1966-1974
Box   21 Folder   5-6	Model Cities Agency, 1969-1971
Box   2 Folder   8	“Open Letter to the Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission Regarding the Earnest Lacy Complaint” by James Cameron, 1983
Box   21 Folder   7	Personnel Policies and Practices, 1976-1980
	Photographs
Box   3 Folder   4	Dinner for Gov. Elect E.L. Philipp on retirement from Board of Fire & Police Commissioners, with Sherman Brown, James D. Foley, Ben Scherer, and Henry C. Guldner, 1914
Box   3 Folder   4	Miscellaneous Members (6 photographs), 1944-1959, undated
Box   3 Folder   4	Swearing in of new Fire Chief, Edward B. McCabe, 1959
Box   22 Folder   1	Police Department Equipment for Bomb Disposal Unit, 1974-1976
Box   22 Folder   2	Police Department Police Training Academy Equipment, 1970-1974
Box   22 Folder   4	Police Specialized Training, 1976-1979
Box   22 Folder   5	Public Schools - Reintegration of the Youthful Offender, 1976-1978
Box   1 Folder   11	Record of Proceedings of Special Committee of the Common Council to Investigate Charges Against Daniel Kennedy, Chief of Police, 1879-1880
Box   1 Folder   12	Rules and Regulations, 1924-1966
Box   2 Folder   9	Selection of a New Chief of Police, 1984
Box   22 Folder   6	Services Unlimited - Milwaukee Urban League (refunding), 1971-1972
Box   22 Folder   7	Special Sessions of Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, 1970-1972
Box   1 Folder   13	Statements, investigation of the Fire and Police Commission and Fire Department, 1951
Box   1 Folder   14	Transcripts of Testimony, investigation of charges preferred by Thomas H. Brown, Mayor, against Florian J. Ries, Chief of Police, 1888
Box   22 Folder   8	Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime grant, 1976
Box   22 Folder   9	Urban Day School, 1969
Box   22 Folder   10-11	Urban Day School (refunding), 1967-1972
	Urban League
Box   22 Folder   12	Drug Education Program, 1971-1972
Box   24 Folder   1	Minority Recruitment, 1975-1976
Box   24 Folder   2	West Side Youth Development Model Cities Program Discretionary Grant, 1972-1974
Box   1 Folder   15	Wischer, Edward, financial records, 1947-1951
Box   24 Folder   3	Wisconsin Correctional Service Community Counseling Center (refunding), 1971-1972
Box   24 Folder   4	YWCA Minority Recruitment Police Candidate Development, 1976-1978
Box   24 Folder   5	YMCA Police Candidate Development, 1975-1976
Box   24 Folder   6	Youth Development Institute Social Development Commission, 1971-1972