The Community Collaborative Commission announced during its meeting Thursday that its long-delayed community-oriented policing plan was finally near completion.
Originally established as the Milwaukee Collaborative Committee in 2018, the group was formed to address a leaked report by the U.S. Department of Justice that criticized the Milwaukee Police Department’s engagement with the community and the civil unrest that followed the fatal shooting of Sylville Smith by a Milwaukee police officer in the Sherman Park neighborhood in 2016.
Established in 2020, the Community Collaborative Commission was tasked with helping police meet the requirements of the landmark stop-and-frisk settlement. That settlement originated from a lawsuit filed against the city by Charles Collins and eight other Milwaukee residents who were pulled over by police.
Collins, a military veteran and longtime Milwaukee resident in his late 60s, was pulled over by police officers while driving home with his wife after visiting their son in 2014. Like the other plaintiffs, he broke no laws and was never charged.
In recent years, the commission has worked on police policy reform, community-oriented policing and oversight of reforms connected to the stop-and frisk-settlement.
Its members include community activists and leaders of local nonprofits.
Moving a community-oriented policing plan forward
Nate Hamilton is the chair of the Community Collaborative Commission. He said work on the community-oriented policing plan has been postponed for roughly seven to eight months.
Still, he said, much of the work has already been completed and the commission is in the late stages of finalizing it.
Hamilton said he hopes discussions on the plan, which has been in the works for years, will resume this month.
Developing a community-oriented policing plan has been one of the commission’s primary goals. The plan is intended to establish expectations for how Milwaukee police engage with residents and communities.
Challenges for commission
Despite positive momentum on the development of a community policing plan, there have been a number of challenges over the years for the Community Collaborative Commission.
Frustrated over what he said was a lack of support from the city, Stephen Jansen, then co-chair of the group, resigned from the commission in 2023.
“Fundamental and significant changes in policing have not occurred. The promises made to oppressed communities by elected officials at the local, state and federal level have not been fulfilled,” Jansen wrote in a resignation letter.
Another challenge for the group is a lack of engagement among members. During its February meeting the commission discussed ongoing concerns over member attendance.
Community update could be coming soon
Commissioners discussed holding a public update later this summer focused on the status of the community-oriented policing plan.
Hamilton suggested Aug. 13 as a possible date for a public event that could include a press conference, opportunities for residents to speak with commissioners and information about community-oriented policing.
The Milwaukee Police Department affirmed its commitment to incorporating community-oriented policing into its training, policies and standard practices in 2023 as part of its policy.
Outreach efforts
Members also discussed other ways to reach residents, including outreach at neighborhood events and advertising.
Commission member Camille Mays said she expects to attend events throughout the summer, including Juneteenth celebrations, and would like to have materials to share with residents.
Hamilton said the commission needs to find ways to engage residents.
“We need to figure a way to reach the people that don’t show up and people that don’t come out to City Hall,” Hamilton said.
The commission is looking for ways to use unspent funds
Carmen Roman, the commission’s staff assistant, said the group has $126,398 available for outreach and other activities. Some of those funds were carried over from 2025 budget.
Members hope to utilize some of the funds to help increase public awareness of the commission’s work. Among the ideas they discussed were creating outreach materials and reviving a previous online portal.
Mays again emphasized the need for physical materials.
“If it’s something tangible that I can have information to provide while I’m talking to people about the (commission), that would be really helpful,” Mays said.
Hamilton said the commission needs to use its available funding for outreach and community engagement or risk making it more difficult to justify future funding.
He wants some of the funds to be used to support community organizations that can help engage residents and raise awareness of the commission’s work.
“I feel like some of that money needs to go towards community organizations that’s grassrooted within our community, and doing the work to help us establish leverage and getting the word out,” he said.
For more information
The Community Collaborative Commission’s next meeting is scheduled for July 9.
Information about upcoming meetings, agendas and minutes is available on the city’s public records website.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
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