Barrett's Election Campaign Started.....When?

A few years ago, the City of Milwaukee began a search for a new Police Chief.

At the very last minute, the Mayor of Milwaukee came up with an individual who the Mayor claimed would be the perfect candidate. The City hired the Mayor's man, acceding to a higher-than-expected compensation demand.

The Chief proceeded to work. He changed the operations of the gang- and drug-squads, making them less effective. He required beat-cops to initiate investigations into major crimes, with the idea that the detectives could 'pick up the traces' from the initial reports and finish the investigation.

At the same time, the headcount in the MPD was getting smaller every year.

Recently, the Chief announced that Crime Is Down, basing his claim on commonly-utilized statistics.

But nobody believed him. Certainly not the 500+ small-business owners who signed a petition asking for better police protection. Certainly not the people who had called 911 only to find that a police response to a reported incident doesn't happen until much, much later--if at all.

Isn't it curious that the Mayor's handpicked Chief is a VERY good spinmeister? Isn't it curious that that Chief does NOT raise Hell about a manpower shortage? Isn't it curious that the Milwaukee crime-rate numbers do not jibe with the impressions of Milwaukee's population?

Cops cost money, which means prop-tax increases. Isn't it curious that the Chief is not thumping the table about filling the gaping hole in Milwaukee's police-department staffing?

When did Barrett know that Doyle was quitting, anyway?