Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman was reappointed for another term by the Fire and Police Commission in a unanimous vote on Thursday. While commissioners and city aldermen showed strong support, some community activists expressed disagreement during public comments. According to a TMJ4, Norman’s reappointment took place after a trespassing incident and arrest at his home the night before the vote.
Norman, who joined the force in 1996, will start a new contract on November 15 with a salary of $243,000. He said, "It's an honor and a pleasure to be in a position to be considered for reappointment," as reported by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. His time as chief included criticism over the use of facial recognition software and the handling of the fatal shooting of Sam Sharpe Jr. during the 2024 Republican National Convention. Leon Todd, executive director of the Fire and Police Commission, said Norman has improved constitutional policing transparency, as per WISN.
Chief Norman became Milwaukee’s police chief after being the only applicant in a renewed search, following an unsuccessful hiring process in 2020. He had considered leaving for Austin but stayed and completed a four-year term. The Fire and Police Commission praised his leadership and voted unanimously to extend his term through 2029. Vice Chair Bree Spencer, who has lived in Milwaukee since 2012, said, “I’ve lived here since 2012 when Flynn was here, then Morales and now Norman and Norman is unequivocally the best police chief that’s been here since I’ve been here,” as mentioned by TMJ4.
