Milwaukee police officer Michael Mattioli resigned from the department Tuesday, just hours after he pleaded not guilty in the off-duty death of Joel Acevedo in April.
Acevedo’s parents say they’re angry officer Mattioli was given the opportunity to resign. The Acevedos believe the Milwaukee Police Department should have terminated him 5 months ago.
“He should have been fired from day 1, that’s how I feel about it,” said Joel’s father Jose Acevedo. “He should have never been paid all this time.”
Officer Mattioli was suspended by Milwaukee police after he was charged with reckless homicide. The Fire and Police Commission, which oversees MPD, launched a disciplinary hearing into police code-of-conduct charges for Mattioli, but just last week, Milwaukee police took over the investigation to decide whether he should remain on the force.
“This is a circus, plain and simple, it’s just a circus,” Acevedo said. “The case has been bouncing back and forth like them playing ping pong. It’s just ridiculous on a high-profile case like this.”
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett released a statement saying, “Given the resignation of Officer Mattioli today, I am pleased Milwaukee taxpayers will no longer be responsible for paying his salary. I’m hopeful for a quick resolution of this entire matter and confident justice will be served for everyone involved in this case.”
Common Council President Cavalier Johnson said he wanted officer Mattioli to get fired months ago.
“I think the evidence was pretty clear and if the investigations hadn’t bounced from jurisdiction to jurisdiction maybe we would have gotten to that decision sooner,” Johnson said.
TMJ4 News reached out to Milwaukee police for a statement on officer Mattioli’s decision and for a copy of his resignation letter. The chief’s office responded by confirming Mattioli left the department.
