As was obvious to anyone who can parse a news story -- even the Brawler! -- MPD Chief Ed Flynn was both blindsided and displeased by a recent report by the department's Special Investigations Unit. You know, the one that explored voting problems in the 2004 election and recommended rather sweeping changes.
Daniel Bice (who, you may recall, once followed the Brawler's suggestion as to who within the RPW was pushing for US Attorney Steven Biskupic's ouster for not vigorously pursuing bogus voter fraud cases) answers some of the questions the Brawler raised way back on February 27:
Flynn said he first read the Milwaukee Police Department report when he was presented with a bound copy Tuesday night - just hours before it was made public. He launched an internal investigation Wednesday to find out who decided to distribute the study as it was.
"There have been chain-of-command failures of a very significant type, and I've got to track it down," he said Friday. "I have people who. . . should know what's going on and report to higher authorities. I don't feel I was served by it."
Flynn doesn't like it that some in his department are inserting themselves in partisan politics and policy recommendations:
But Flynn said it is not up to his agency to pick a side in partisan fights. To some, the report made it look like his agency was doing just that.
"We're not the Department of Making Policy Recommendations," Flynn said. "That's where this thing got out of control."
All of which prompts a couple of questions:
Couldn't it be that some MPD staffers avoided giving the chief and mayor a heads-up specifically because they feared the two might alter or delete the legislative proposals?
Bice also quotes Flynn as saying he understands the report was essentially completed a year and a half ago -- i.e. shortly before the 06 election and after US attorney Steven Biskupic said there was no evidence of a voter fraud conspiracy.
Which seems to lend credence to the Brawler's theory that this thing was released to keep the issue alive, after all but right wingers had moved on, and for maximum political impact.
The Brawler's new question is: Will Charlie Sykes and other law-and-order types who have praised Ed Flynn mention that he's gone after this report and its pretenses of policy making? Tune in Monday!
UPDATE: It's not often that the Brawler and Glenn Frankovis agree on a point...but we do here!
From Badger Blogger:
Sounds like the Chief is none too happy about this either and rightfully so. Nothing of this magnitude should ever be released for public consumption without first being approved by the Chief (and the Mayor in this specific case). This is a matter of proper protocol, and this Chief is conducting an Internal Investigation as is THE RIGHT THING to do WHENEVER an internal document is improperly released to anyone outside the Department without the Police Chief’s approval.
"The Brawler's new question is: Will Charlie Sykes and other law-and-order types who have praised Ed Flynn mention that he's gone after this report and its pretenses of policy making? Tune in Monday!"
Same Whallah time!
Same Whallah channel!
You know I'm just waiting with bated breath.
Posted by: capper | March 02, 2008 at 07:40 AM
Just file Bice's column under "Suspicions Confirmed."
Posted by: xoff | March 02, 2008 at 10:52 AM