Buoyed by a falling crime rate and a well-received emphasis on focused, data-driven policing, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn likely will get his contract renewed tonight by the city’s Police and Fire Commission, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It would be the first time in 27 years that a police chief’s contract has been renewed. Because city salaries for department managers are frozen, Flynn, 63, would not get a raise but would maintain his $146,000-a-year salary and benefits.
He was appointed in 2008, and his term is set to expire Jan. 8. When evaluating the chief’s performance, the commission considers several elements, including crime statistics, technology initiatives, handling of citizen complaints and public outreach. Among the trademarks of Flynn’s administration: an emphasis on data-driven policing and statistics, and a focus on proactive policing in high-crime areas over reactive patrols. He and District Attorney John Chisholm created community prosecutors. Crime in the city has declined steadily. Flynn has been credited with modernizing the department with technology and creating an intelligence fusion center to coordinate efforts of local, state, and federal law enforcement.