Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn will retire from the Milwaukee Police Department on February 16, according to a news release from the city's Fire and Police Commission.
"Chief Flynn’s current term was due to continue through January of 2020, but we are confident in the committed & capable members of the MPD who remain. At our January 11, 2018 meeting we will discuss in closed session this news and plan for moving forward," the FPC said in a statement.
"I was brought here to be a change agent, and a change agent I have been," Flynn said at a news conference attended by Mayor Tom Barrett Monday.
After serving as chief since January 7th, 2008, Flynn will retire just over ten years after he was sworn in. He is the fifth-longest serving police chief in Milwaukee's history.
Chief Flynn held several positions before his service in the Milwaukee Police Department. He was appointed Police Commissioner in Springfield, Massachusetts and left his position 18 months into his 5-year contract to become Milwaukee's Police Chief.
Prior to that, Flynn was Secretary of the State Executive Office of Public Safety in Massachusetts. Mitt Romney, former presidential candidate and governor at the time, appointed him to that position.
From 1998 to 2002, Chief Flynn served as Police Chief in Arlington County, Virginia, where he led the department's response to the September 11th attack on the pentagon.
One of the most notable moments in Chief Flynn's Milwaukee career was his response to the death of Dontre Hamilton, who was shot by Officer Christopher Manny in Red Arrow Park. Flynn fired Officer Manny for his violating department policy by searching Hamilton, which led to Hamilton's death. Flynn received both praise and criticism.
During his time in Milwaukee, Chief Flynn was often called to Washington, D.C. to discuss policing efforts at the White House with President Obama and later in the Trump administration with Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He also testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee on criminal use of assault weapons on the streets.
