Ashley Luthern | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Bill Schulz / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn announced his retirement Monday, capping a turbulent period during his tenure as the city’s top cop.

"It's time — time to say thank you, time to say goodbye," Flynn said.

Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Flynn, 69, made his announcement one day after the 10th anniversary of his appointment as Milwaukee's police chief and days before he was scheduled to go before the city's Fire and Police Commission for a performance evaluation.

His retirement is to be effective Feb. 16. The chief is in the middle of his third term, which was scheduled to expire Jan. 7, 2020. The commission, a civilian oversight board, said it would discuss how to move forward in its closed session Thursday.

The commission said it would select an acting chief from within the department "after a process" and seek candidates familiar with department structure and who have the confidence and trust of officers and the wider community.

Under the current chain-of-command, Assistant Chief James Harpole has served as acting chief when Flynn is away. Harpole was among five finalists for the chief's post when it was last open in 2008.

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

Flynn announced his retirement with Mayor Tom Barrett, a staunch supporter, by his side.

"You have earned the right to retire," Barrett said as he thanked Flynn for his service.

Flynn was appointed in 2008 and became the first chief to have his contract renewed since Harold Breier, who left in 1984 after 20 years as chief. Before that, chiefs were appointed for life. He drew an annual salary of about $147,000.

Flynn’s first two years as chief were marked by Milwaukee’s lowest homicide rates since 1985, though homicides and nonfatal shootings have trended upward since 2010. His trademark has been expanding the use of technology and data at the department.

On Monday, Flynn said he had wanted to stay on the job in 2017 to bring down the spikes in homicide, which reached a decades-high of 145 victims in 2015, and other violent crime increases. He said the department had made "significant progress," with homicides declining by about 18% last year.

A decade ago, many city leaders heralded his appointment, saying Flynn would modernize and reform the department.

For the most part, Flynn managed to keep their support through scandals both personal — an extramarital affair with a journalist — and professional. He was criticized by some local leaders and residents for his response to the in-custody death of Derek Williams, the fatal police shootings of Dontre Hamilton and Sylville Smith, and a series of illegal strip and body cavity searches his officers performed on African-American men suspected of having drugs.

Wochit

On Monday, Flynn acknowledged his tenure had seen challenges.

"Milwaukee has been at the center of many of the social changes that we're seeing right now, the enhanced scrutiny of the police," Flynn said. "Certainly we have had some conspicuous failures over the years in which individual officers or small groups fail to adhere to our core values."

He said what was important was how the department held officers accountable, referencing the firing of the officers involved in the fatal shootings of Hamilton and Smith. Flynn's decision to fire officer Christopher Manney after the Hamilton shooting sparked a no-confidence vote by the police union.

Flynn spent most of his news conference touting programs and initiatives, including: the creation of the Neighborhood Task Force and Intelligence Fusion Center; the re-drawing of police district boundaries to reflect neighborhoods; the use of CompStat, ShotSpotter and other technologies; and partnerships with community groups, such as the Sojourner Family Peace Center and the Salvation Army. He also highlighted drops in uses-of-force and citizens complaints.

He praised his officers, noting one-third of the current force had been hired under his tenure.

"They've absorbed an enormous amount of technological operational and institutional change against the backdrop of significant political and societal pressure," he said.

Strained relations

In recent months, Flynn has had a particularly strained relationship with the Milwaukee Common Council and the city's Fire and Police Commission. He came to be seen by some as standoffish and uncommunicative even with those elected officials and the commission, which hired him and had the power to fire him.

This summer, Flynn found himself under a barrage of criticism, first for changes to the department’s immigration policy and how those changes went into effect largely behind-the-scenes.

Around the same time, the Fire and Police Commission ordered Flynn to change the department’s pursuit policy or face discipline, which included possible termination. Soon after, Flynn hired prominent lawyer Franklyn Gimbel to represent him for possible employment issues related to the order. Flynn later put forward pursuit policy changes that satisfied the commission.

"Political criticism is part and parcel of this job," Flynn said Monday. "That wasn't an issue."

The Common Council released a statement Monday expressing support for the city's Fire and Police Commission as it begins selecting a new chief. The statement also referenced the need to implement recommendations from a draft report of a review of the Police Department by the U.S. Department of Justice.

That lingering federal review of the Milwaukee Police Department had been stalled with the change in presidential administrations, launching a fight over when and how any findings or recommendations from it would be released.

Wochit

Several aldermen were incensed after a public records request for a draft of the report was denied and one of them, Ald. Jose Perez, proposed hiring an outside attorney to take up the open records issue.

In late August, the Journal Sentinel obtained and published a draft of the report, which found trust had been damaged between the Police Department and the community it serves.

It also contained pointed criticisms of Flynn’s signature data strategy, suggesting it may have inadvertently widened the gulf between the officers and residents by moving the focus away from community policing.

Flynn has repeatedly said the draft is “riddled with errors” but that he agreed with most of the report’s recommendations.

He said he was frustrated with the draft's analysis showing racial disparities in traffic stops, arguing it did not account for disparities in crime victimization. He made the same point when an earlier Journal Sentinel analysis of traffic stop data found similar racial disparities.

During his tenure in Milwaukee, Flynn also advocated for tighter controls on firearms. He testified before Congress in 2013 after the school shooting in Sandy Hook, Conn., and urged lawmakers to ban sales of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines to civilians.

At the state level, Flynn urged limits on Wisconsin's concealed carry law, proposing people with three misdemeanor convictions within five years should not be eligible for a concealed-carry license — a fight he lost.

His stance on guns brought him into conflict with former Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr., who once aired radio ads asking residents to get "in the game" and arm themselves for protection from criminals. Clarke abruptly resigned his post in August and has taken a job with a super PAC supporting President Donald Trump.

The departure of Clarke, and now Flynn, leaves two key public safety jobs in Wisconsin open. Gov. Scott Walker has yet to appoint a replacement for Clarke. The sheriff's office has been led by Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt since Clarke's resignation.

View | 29 Photos

Photos: Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn through the years