Morales has failed to hold his police officers accountable for misconduct, illegal acts, filing false police reports and murder of unarmed people of color.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
July 17, 2020
Milwaukee, WI - According to police department sources, Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales met with the rank and file this week and is contemplating his resignation ahead of Monday's meeting with the Milwaukee Fire & Police Commission (MFPC), which multiple sources including the Milwaukee Police Association has indicated that Chief Morales's contract will not be renewed and will be terminated by the Commission.
Other rank and file police commanders are also planning to retire, while many police supervisors and officers are leaving the department as well due to public and daily protests that have created pressure to bring about accountability, transparency and reform within the department.
On September 23, 2019, multiple police officers from police district station 2 assisted rogue U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a frivolous arrest of undocumented immigrant Jose Alejandro De la Cruz-Espinosa, 38, in the Southside of Milwaukee. Police offficers after arresting De la Cruz-Espinosa, turned him over to ICE agents at the scene without a federal warrant signed by a judge. Chief Morales later testified that ICE agents had an active federal warrant and that De la Cruz-Espinosa would be arrested anyways. Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) learned that Chief Morales mislead the MFPC and that ICE agents didn't have a valid federal warrant signed by a judge as Morales falsely indicated but, ICE agents had an Administrative ICE warrant signed by an agent, which is deemed worthless and invalid to arrest an undocumented immigrant at a private home or property such as inside a vehicle.
Also, Chief Morales failed to hold accountable the officer or supervisor that released a police video of an interview of a known suspect, which revealed the name of a sexual assault victim. Apparently, it was later reported that Chief Morales was attempting to protect the suspect who was nominated to join the Board a Police Fund organization.
Chief Morales has also failed to follow Mayor Tom Barrett's recommendation to terminate Milwaukee Police Officer Michael Mattioli, 32, who was charged with the chokehold murder of Joel Acevedo, 26. Chief Morales has claimed that he does not have the authority to fire Mattioli, but in September 2018, Morales fired Erik Andrade, a police officer for posting a racist post on his personal Facebook account directed at Sterling Brown, a Milwaukee Bucks player who is African-American. Police Officer Andrade was involved in brutal arrest of Brown at the Walgreens parking lot at S. 27th Street and W. National Ave. on January 26, 2018 in Milwaukee.
Apparently, Chief Morales has practiced a double standard by firing Police Officer Andrade for posting a racist comment about Sterling on social media and not firing an off-dury Police Officer Mattioli who murdered Acevedo at a house party on April 19, 2020 hosted by Mattioli with the use of a chokehold for ten minutes. Two other suspects that helped Mattioli hold down Acevedo during the chokehold have not been charged in the homicide. Mattioli was charged with 1st-degree reckless homicide after three weeks of the murder.
The Acevedo family has filed for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to release the 911 call and police officers body camera video footage from Mattioli's chokehold incident. Morales has denied the release of the video.
Officer Mattioli has been suspended with pay from the Milwaukee Police Department, according to the MFPC.
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