Photo courtesy Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression
Samuel "Jah" Sharpe protester
The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission has implemented Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 575, requiring the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) to release all footage (body cameras, 911 emergency calls, in-car video) of critical incidents involving law enforcement officers to victims’ families within 48 hours and to the public within 15 days. Initially approved in April 2023, SOP 575 was put in effect this July once the Milwaukee Police Association (MPA) dropped a lawsuit in opposition to the policy, ending a temporary injunction.
The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression (MAARPR) originally proposed SOP 575 back in May 2021 after the fatal police shooting of Roberto Zielinski on the city’s south side. Zielinski’s family told the organization that he had been in a mental health crisis and that the police failed to de-escalate the situation once they arrived on scene.
MAARPR asserts that without immediate release of footage, cops could be allowed time to devise a narrative about their victims and the context in which they were killed. “By codifying the policy, MPD would owe the public, at the bare minimum, transparency about the facts surrounding the shooting," the organization says.
Accountability and Transparency
Both the organization and local families of victims of police violence have long demanded accountability and transparency from MPD. “Rewriting the narrative with these families by painting a picture of their loved ones reminds the community that nobody deserves to die at the hands of the police,” MAARPR affirms.
Historically, the informal deadline for MPD releasing footage to the public had been 45 days. SOP 575 immediately received pushback from the MPA, who filed a lawsuit after the policy was adopted, citing a violation of their collective bargaining agreement. A granted injunction postponed the policy's implementation for over a year, and the lawsuit had been set to go to trial.
Then on July 16, five Ohio police officers in town providing security for the Republican National Convention shot and killed Samuel “Jah” Sharpe Jr. near King Park, well outside of the security perimeter. The community promptly held a vigil mourning Sharpe followed by a march demanding justice. Columbus police released body camera footage to the public less than a day after the shooting. MPA subsequently dropped their lawsuit, officially making SOP 575 the law.
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“We believe they saw the writing on the wall,” MAARPR contends about the MPA. “All of their arguments against the quick dissemination of footage were practically rendered invalid when another agency showed how quickly it can be done.”
MAARPR regards SOP 575 as a major victory towards true accountability and full transparency between MPD and the local community, making it easier to determine whether law enforcement officers are unlawfully using deadly force. “By having access to these videos, we see an entirely different perspective from before—the truth,” the organization says. “It is our hope that the release of bodycam footage will make it easier to get justice for the families of victims of police crimes.”
The Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression continues their struggle for community control of the police by way of advocating for an established Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC).
