BROKEN SYSTEMS, BROKEN PROMISES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 6, 2020

By Steven M. DeVougas, Chair of the Fire & Police Commission

BROKEN SYSTEMS, BROKEN PROMISES

Milwaukee, WI - Let me begin by saying that I did not want it to come to this. For the past year, I have been silent, while my name and reputation, as well as the reputation of my business associates, have been dragged through the mud. I have been vilified in the media as “unethical.” I have been slandered by the Milwaukee Police Association (MPA), who held a press conference with ex-Sheriff David Clarke as the headliner. Even the Mayor, who appointed me to the Fire and Police Commission (twice), and Chief Alfonso Morales, who I cast the deciding vote for making him Chief, have opted to criticize me in the media, rather than have a civil conversation with me. As a result, I have had to hire TWO lawyers to address the various allegations against me in a position that is supposed to be part-time and voluntary.

I have remained silent because I wanted to “trust the process” and allow the “system” to play out. However, this system was not designed to promote justice. It was never designed with the best interests of the community and the citizens. The system was designed to protect those in power, at the expense of the citizenry, and hamper effective change. And unfortunately, all