MILWAUKEE — A possible break in the stalemate between the City of Milwaukee and former Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales, after a lawyer for Morales confirmed to TMJ4 News that both sides have agreed to mediation.
City officials and Morales' team are set for a telephone conference Wednesday to set a date to sit down and talk.
The city's Fire and Police Commission demoted Morales to captain last year amid ongoing tensions. Morales then retired from the force, and has since been trying to get his job back as chief.
Last month, a Milwaukee County judge ruledMorales was wrongly demoted from chief, and the city either needs to reach a settlement or give Morales his job back.
The FPC has since halted its search for a new police chief. Acting Chief Jeffrey Norman currently leads the department.
In a recent radio interview, Morales said he is "ready to come back to work," but seemed unsure if the city will reinstate him to police chief.
"If that's the card they want to play, I'm ready to come back. It has to be done. I don't know if they realize what they have done. My biggest thing is why has the city taken this stance. Especially during a time when civil rights is a hot topic. And the city has taken this stance towards me, it's just distasteful at the minimum," Morales said.
Nathaniel Cade, an attorney representing the City of Milwaukee and the FPC, said ahead of the judge's decision last month that "We agreed there was not due process. He's now said 'I'm done I don't want to serve as captain. I don't want to deal with the city of Milwaukee.' You don't get to after the fact say 'I've changed my mind.'"
