Former Milwaukee Police Chief Will Be Fitchburg Chief

WISCONSIN — The city of Fitchburg announced Monday that it selected Alfonso Morales, the former police chief of Milwaukee, as its next police chief.

Fitchburg's Police and Fire Commission chose Morales out of two finalists in a process that started in May, the city said in a statement.

"The Police and Fire Commission selected Alfonso Morales as the next chief of police in Fitchburg," the city said. "The Commission is looking forward to the future, working with Chief Morales, to continue to provide community-involved policing and law enforcement that respects the value of all individuals in our community."

Morales was pleased to be selected and looked forward to working with the city's police, the city said.

The Milwaukee Police and Fire Commission demoted Morales from police chief to captain in 2020, The Associated Press reported. He had been given seven pages of directives, and the commission demoted him before he could complete the directives.

Morales retired from his position and sued the city in federal court. He settled the case for $627,000, The Associated Press reported.

The former Milwaukee chief was demoted after the commission voiced concerns over the Milwaukee Police Department's job of handling protests under his leadership, including use of pepper spray and tear gas, The New York Times reported.

Fitchburg is a suburb of Madison with almost 30,000 residents. The city is just south of the state capitol.