Former Milwaukee police chief to lead Fitchburg department

FITCHBURG, Wis. (AP) — A former Milwaukee police chief who sued the city after he was demoted is the next chief in the Madison suburb of Fitchburg.

The city has posted the announcement on its website with a statement that said the Police and Fire Commission looks forward to working with Alfonso Morales. He was named a finalist for the job in July.

The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission demoted Morales in 2020 after giving him seven pages of directives and threatening to discipline or fire him if he didn’t fulfill them. The commission demoted Morales to captain before he could complete the directives.

Morales retired, sued the city and the commission in federal court and ended up settling the case for $627,000.

Fitchburg Mayor Aaron Richardson said he supports the commission’s selection and has no concerns about Morales’ tenure in Milwaukee.