Ashley Luthern and Alison Dirr | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales has promoted a formerly retired police captain to the rank of assistant chief, meaning she will get a raise and continue to draw her pension — a move that has drawn criticism from Mayor Tom Barrett.

Barrett said he was focused on the policy issue of promoting someone who already is collecting a city pension and not commenting on an individual's qualifications.

"This is very unfair to the taxpayers of this city, at a time when we've been forced to cut police officers, to have someone on the command staff make over $100,000 and get a full pension in addition to that," Barrett said.

The mayor made his comments late Thursday after the city's Fire and Police Commission approved Morales' appointment of Regina Howard to assistant chief.

Howard retired in 2017 as a Milwaukee police captain in charge of the department's Office of Management, Analysis and Planning. Morales hired her back to her former post as a civilian in 2018 — a move Barrett criticized then.

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Since then, Howard has drawn an annual salary of about $80,000 and collected her pension, which is about $87,000 annually, according to city records. She cannot accrue a second pension, city officials have said.

The pay range for assistant chiefs is between $103,000 and $145,000 annually.

The Fire and Police Commission also approved Morales' other pick for assistant chief: Christopher Domagalski, chief of the Sheboygan Police Department.

Domagalski spent 18 years in the department, last serving as captain over District 3, before being hired as Sheboygan's chief in 2010.

He did not retire from Milwaukee police and is not collecting a pension. He will continue to accrue a city of Milwaukee pension when he returns as an assistant chief.

The department typically has three assistant chiefs. Howard and Domagalski are joining Assistant Chief Michael Brunson at that rank. The posts were empty after the retirement of Assistant Chiefs Raymond Banks and Steve Caballero in recent months.

Brunson oversees the patrol operations, including the district-level commanders. Howard will oversee the Administration Bureau and Domagalski will oversee the Criminal Investigation Bureau, said Nick DeSiato, Morales' chief of staff.

The Administration Bureau includes internal affairs, risk management, training, records management and human resources, while the Criminal Investigation Bureau is home to most of the department's detectives who investigate homicides, robberies and sensitive crimes.

Howard will be sworn in Friday morning and her promotion is effective Sunday, DeSiato said. Her replacement at the Office of Management, Analysis and Planning has not been named, he said.

Domagalski will take his post effective March 9.

Ahead of Thursday's meeting, the Milwaukee Police Department declined to answer questions, including about the number of applicants considered for the open posts and why Morales chose these candidates. There was no public discussion of the candidates at the commission meeting, and when a reporter tried to ask Morales about his appointments after the meeting, he did not take questions.

On Friday morning, the department released a statement saying the two appointees' "qualifications speak for themselves."

"Chief Morales believes that these additions will not only benefit the Milwaukee Police Department, but it will benefit all of those that live, work and visit the city of Milwaukee," according to the statement provided by Lt. Erik Gulbrandson.

Although Howard had been serving in a civilian role, she remained certified as a law enforcement officer during that time, Gulbrandson said.

In a letter to the commission, Morales wrote his decision came after a selection process that included an evaluation of the candidates' training and experience, as well as an interview.

The assistant chiefs who retired had spent their entire careers with the Milwaukee Police Department. As such, Caballero will receive about $101,000 annually and Banks is estimated to receive up to $108,000 annually through the pension system, according to records from the city's Employes’ Retirement System.