As a lifelong Milwaukee resident, Chief Jeffrey Norman began his journey with the Milwaukee Police Department as a police officer in 1996. He is the city’s second black police chief and the 19th police chief in the city’s history. His promotions to detective, lieutenant and captain gave him the opportunity to focus on robbery, violent crime, homicide and cold cases before his appointment to Chief of Police in November 2021.
“Chief Jeffrey Norman is well-respected by officials and community members due to his accessibility, leadership and responsiveness to community concerns,” said his staff. “His leadership emphasizes strategic community engagement and relationship building to foster trust and legitimacy within the community that the department serves.”
The Milwaukee Police Department has a contingent of 1,600 sworn officers when at full strength and is divided into seven districts with a mission to use effective community engagement to impact crime, help build sustainable neighborhoods and foster positive community relations.
From the start of his career, he has been a leader, said his staff. “As chief, he has worked tirelessly and effectively to change the culture of the organization and make the city’s public safety a true function of the people,” they said.
Under his leadership, the department has moved from a traditional reactionary policing mindset to focus on proactive, intentional policing that incorporates engagement with intergovernmental, system and community partners. “I have created strategic plans to move this vision forward and have motivated a team to mentor and lead with this as their priority,” said Norman.
Chief Norman has also focused on transparency and efficiency while prioritizing the health and well-being of all department personnel. “He recognizes that his employees are the most vital part of a culture change,” said his staff. “Balancing these priorities to change the culture of policing in Milwaukee has not been an easy task, but Chief Norman has leaned in and tackled it head-on.”
In a fairly short amount of time, Norman stabilized a department that saw years of controversial turnover in leadership and has built strategic action plans to form a spirit of collaboration. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. Norman was recently honored by his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, with the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.
“Of all his accomplishments, he is most proud of the culture change he sees within the department emphasizing fostering positive relationships,” said his staff. “He believes the key to successful public safety is proactive problem solving not for the community but with the community.”
For his commitment to public service and for putting the needs of the public first, Chief Norman has been name a titan.
