Fire and Police Commission Board

The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners is a civilian body which oversees the Milwaukee Fire Department, the Milwaukee Police Department, and the Department of Emergency Communications. The Commission also appoints all employees of the three public safety Departments, including the Department Chiefs and Director. In addition to general oversight matters and employment functions, the Commission decides citizen complaints against Fire, Police, or Emergency Communications employees. The Commission is comprised of nine part-time civilian board members, and a full-time professional staff led by an Executive Director.

The civilian board of the Commission holds regular business meet-ings twice each month except August, usually on the first and third Thursday of the month, at 5.30 p.m. These meetings are open to the public, and provide an opportunity for interested persons to listen to discussion and offer comments on agenda matters. Meetings are usu-ally held in the Common Council meeting rooms on the third floor of City Hall. The Board also has two standing committees that meet pe-riodically, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Testing and Recruiting. Other committees are formed as needed.

The Commission's authority and responsibility are set forth in Wisconsin Statute 62.50 and in the Milwaukee City Charter. The nine Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor of Milwaukee and approved by the Common Council. Commissioners serve overlapping five-year terms, and receive a salary of $6,600 per year. The Commissioners elect a Chair and Vice-Chair. Diversity of background and experience makes the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners representative of the entire Milwaukee community.