Police Chief Jeffery Norman joins Truth In The Morning

This is Truth in the Morning on 101 7 The Truth.

Welcome Black.

Andrew acting like he got some going on.

Yeah, he got some tunes in there.

Yeah.

You know, that the rhythm hit him like, okay, okay, okay.

You said he wasn't coming back.

We said he wasn't coming back with the jazz.

Right, right.

He was like, okay, you were like, man, listen, we got the chief in here.

You going to say I got you know, we got to get it right.

Yeah, because you know, we got to dance it.

Exactly.

You know what I'm saying?

Let's welcome Black to Truth in the morning on the award,

winning 101 7 FM The Truth.

I am the legendary home blow along with my girl.

Bailey Coleman and we are pleased and honored to have

in the studio with us on this morning.

The city of Milwaukee, chief of police,

Jeffrey Norman, great morning brother.

How you doing?

What's going on?

What's going on?

Man, reckless driving.

Yeah.

There's a lot of that here.

Boy, there's a lot of that.

Yeah, reckless driving and again,

we're honored to have you join us on Truth in the morning.

Absolutely.

We were, you know, we've been talking about the reckless driving

pursuit and it's a new policy.

And so it was introduced and it's being implemented

with on the 6th.

Is that when it kicks into play?

And so we were like, when we were talking about it,

it was like, okay, now people, the police cannot

initiate a pursuit for someone just recklessly driving and speeding.

And that ended up sending up a red flag for me.

Right, me too.

You don't understand like, what the hell are you saying?

Is this a message for those who are driving reckless?

Is it trying to revive the key of boys and key of girls

into the conversation?

That you can just kind of, hey, long as you don't

hit nobody, you good to go if you're speeding.

So I felt like when we were talking about it with Bailey,

I was like, you know what?

I'm going to try to call the chief and see what you're like.

You ain't got to do that.

I'm like, yeah, I'm going to see if I can do that.

Yeah, I was trying to spare you because he'd call it early.

I like it.

Let me get a little rest.

Yeah, so it's a blessing to be able to have you in.

So again, this is our chief of police here in Milwaukee,

city of Milwaukee.

Can you please break down what does this mean and how did it come about

that there had to be even changes to the pursuit policy?

So the big thing is trying to balance the act of

ensuring that we are still engaging in pursuits and

making people accountable for the behaviors they have in a row,

but also recognizing that there is a level of

dangerousness that we need to take a mind and

now it's a balance act.

So this is not saying that there is no chase policy,

but just trying to again make sure that if we're going to engage in such a

dangerous type of situation that we have the right reasons and

trying to make sure that we're not going to have a

necessary desk out there and respect that we have.

A lot of people concerned about what's going on our city on both sides.

So this is not saying that we have cut out

speeding enforcement.

There's still speed enforcement going on.

What we're asking our officers is to look for another factor in regards to their speed

if you're going to chase.

Meaning that you're going to basically look at again when we say reckless,

you know, speed alone is not reckless.

Okay, it's a violation, but it's not reckless driving.

But if you're swerving, you hit somebody, you run a red light,

we're saying you do what you got to do to ensure that we're going to hold people accountable.

But we have seen unfortunate situations where, you know,

individuals are speeding, our officers are trying to catch up,

and fortunately sometimes at that, you know,

can't even see the car anymore, trying to catch up.

We've seen some unfortunate situations happen.

And so this is not saying that there's anything go.

I think this is a compromise because there's people

within our community saying they don't want none of that

in regards to the type of enforcement for just any level of reckless driving.

There are some academia out there saying that there should not be

a tolerance for that and saying that basically if it's not violent crime,

you shouldn't be even engaged in speeding because is it a cost ratio there?

And so I'm just trying to, I ain't going to lie, you know,

trying to split the middle.

You know, you're not trying to say we're going to cut it a lot out

because there's still some people within our community,

some people who have, you know, certain authorities in regards

of what's going on in our community saying that's not enough.

And so I'm just looking at from a standpoint of being proactive

and understanding that, you know, this has been an edict since my

five years in this gig doing this where people say,

do some about reckless driving.

And we are.

There are a lot of things going on, but we still recognize

there's still more to do.

So we're not saying that we're going to let the, you know,

wheels, you know, be rolling out there,

unenforced, but we do recognize that we have to be, you know, mindful

of if we don't put bumper rails on what we do,

especially from a law enforcement standpoint, you know,

we're going to be forced by other powers out there

that we need to make sure that we are leaning in

rather than being told to do something.

Now, what are the things that, you know,

because we, I've read a lot of criminal complaints

and I've read different stories where there was a pursuit.

And the law enforcement ended up saying,

okay, we're going to cancel this pursuit.

So what does that policy look like?

When and who is in charge of making that decision of saying,

you know what, terminate the pursuit,

terminate the pursuit and being proactive with a situation?

So that's always been part of our rules and regulations.

There's a number of factors that can come into play.

And officer might say this ain't that serious.

Based on row conditions, based on, you know,

weather, based on a lot of different factors where you say

the means doesn't justify the ends.

Every pursuit is monitored by what we call a supervisor,

a sergeant or above.

They have the ability to ask questions and say,

hey, what's going on?

What are we engaged in pursuit?

And they can terminate the pursuit.

So there's a couple of different factors.

And we do see a lot of officers,

you know, self-canceling, meaning that,

you know, we're not trying to, you know,

go after somebody who's trying to blow up the world.

You know, this is, you know,

we can get you another day,

especially if you do have identifications about people

saying, hey, you can follow up on this.

But we also lean into technology to see how that can help us,

whether it's, you know, initiating drones to be able to,

you know, keep over the car,

which unfortunately is not a drone out there.

But we can use it for tracking purposes at times

when we do have these type of situations.

But we're also looking at other technology out there

to, you know, basically, there's like a, you know,

rubber dart that will, you know,

hear to the car so that we can back off.

Because, you know, we do recognize that

it is very dangerous, not only for a community,

but for the officers themselves

to be engaged in these particular type of activities.

But we do recognize that we still need to chase.

We do recognize that some people,

you just cannot allow, based on whatever happened,

you know, especially a violent crime,

or serious, you know,

reckless driving where, you know,

you're slamming into cars,

or you're just thinking that, you know,

no one should be, you know,

concerned about your behavior out there.

Because I tell people at the time,

I've resigned as a community, my daughter,

my wife drives any street.

So I do recognize the balancing act

and, you know, the level of care that we need to have

and our particular responsibility

to not only enforce the law,

but also be safe about enforcement law.

Maybe I didn't mean it.

I just, this is okay.

This is about this,

but kind of a personal question.

I just want to know,

have you ever been driving, you know,

with your family, maybe your wife,

you guys are going on an outing

and then home was causing them speed by you,

like someone, you know, you're just like,

have you ever had that experience?

See it all the time, unfortunately.

And the thing that people need to realize

and sometimes, especially seeing it

from that, you know, viewpoint.

I see, you know,

mothers going through lights.

I see delivery drivers going through lights

or driving a high rated speed.

You know, let's not try to have this near today.

It's just our young ones.

They'll give it wrong, you know?

We do have, especially what we see

between 18 and 24,

a lot of unfortunate bad behavior,

which says it all about what we do

as a community to teach them

and to give them responsibility.

But I tell people the time,

sometimes we mulling the bad behavior.

I'm late to work,

late to get the kids to school, you know.

This light doesn't mean it's a light for me,

you know, ask for somebody else.

Yeah.

So whenever we have these discussions,

I always ask the public,

are you driving the way that you want

people to drive around you?

Or do you cut the corners as well?

And you wonder why?

Because a lot of people get,

unfortunately, you know,

they copycat and they see other people behaviors.

And so we need to slow down,

take a little more time,

going to work, going to school,

getting the kids ready.

But also understand that, you know,

we all have a responsibility

to model the behavior that we expect.

Seatbelt.

Yeah.

Drive the speed limit.

There's a reason why sometimes

in our newer cars,

you have the speed limit on the dashboard.

You remind me.

So you got that phone that you have

in the middle of your,

windshield, which I say is obstructing your,

you know,

be able to drive because you want to see the light

is real or look at your,

you know, your stories, whatever.

And pay attention to that role.

And that is important for us to look

at it from a standpoint.

What are we teaching our children?

What are we teaching each other?

About how we need to be respectful

and operate the right way on our roadways.

We got to get ready.

Take care of some bills.

But a great question from

abstract nor on our YouTube page

that I'd like to ask you

talking about.

Does this regulation extend to suburban police

who come into the city on perhaps

a high-speed chase or pursuit?

You're listening to Truth in the morning

on the award winning 101 7 FM

The Truth, the legendary home

of Blow Along With My Girl.

Bailey Coleman.

And our special honored guest this morning

Chief Norman.

Jeffrey Norman.

All right now.

We'll be driving the right to.

This is Truth in the Morning on 101 7 The Truth.

Welcome Black.

We're capitalizing all the time

that we got.

Yes, we are.

With our Chief of Police,

the one the only.

You got it on Truth?

We got it.

Go ahead, Chief.

I'll charge you for it.

Sorry.

We look sure it's above us.

Yeah, it's above us.

It's above us.

It's above us.

Yeah, you don't learn today.

But before we went to break

one of our troop nation,

YouTube subscribers,

abstract nor said,

does this regulation extend

to suburban police

that are chasing people

into the city of Milwaukee?

So unfortunately does not

in regards to that.

This is a Milwaukee Police

Department.

Rules and regulations.

So to speak is our standard

operating procedures.

But we are only

responsible for those

with the organization.

Everyone else,

especially as the

duly certified law enforcement

within Wisconsin,

have certain rules of engagement.

So the only thing we can do

is say that, you know,

expectations for this is,

you know, talk to other

departments, but it's not

where anybody has to follow

our rules because they're not

MPD officers.

So my

span of control is those

who wear the MPD patch

and patch only.

Okay.

Does MPD join in

in these type of pursuits?

There is a possibility

depending on the circumstances.

We do understand that there is a

responsibility for mutual aid.

That's where we have,

you know, partnerships

with our surrounding

departments.

So it's always good to, you

know, have a good relationship

or play nice in the sandbots

like to say.

Okay.

But we do have to

maintain a vigilance

from our own

supervisors of what's the

reason for us engaging

and why?

Because if it's not online

with our policies,

no, we were not.

I mean, we have to hold

ourselves a combo

for what we expect

for our people.

And those other

organizations have to hold

themselves a combo

for what their people are doing.

Okay.

We get,

you can grab this one

out the two talk text line.

8332121017.

That's our truth.

Talk text line.

Stacey said,

can you all ask him

if it's a murder

or a bank robber suspect?

Will the chase continue

and not stop

until that person is caught?

I don't know.

She sounded like that.

You know,

how she gave that kind of

read-off like that.

I don't know.

Trying to read a line.

So like that.

But absolutely,

our policy does allow for

those violent crime,

those high level where

there is that urgency to say

the cost of,

you know, engaging the chase

outweighs in regards to the risk.

Because, you know,

there is someone

who's have created a harm

in our community

at the highest level.

And so I believe

across the law

for the community,

there is a,

you know, form

understanding

that's the right reasons

and that is something

that we do support

in regards to that.

You engage in violent crime.

You absolutely will be,

you know,

if you flee,

that we will pursue.

Okay.

Okay.

Another thing that I wanted to

definitely get in.

And it

even seems like it may impact

even more now

with the rise,

the unfortunate rise

in homicides

for 2025.

There was an uptick of

homicides,

even though in previous years

that, you know,

the numbers were down.

But we had an uptick

in 2025.

What are some things

that you may have

in the works

to try to help decrease

the violence?

And it's,

it stands up even more

with some other situations

that just happened recently

where the

office of community

wellness and safety

Adam Prasel

had to resign

from his position.

And I know that that

position in that

particular office

or department

worked with a lot of the

violence

and eruptors, the community

violence and eruptors

and things that had

nature.

So a lot of times

when we think

about our springs

and summers,

it's going to be a deadly

one.

So what are some things

that you

and your team

are looking at

trying to do

to bring those

numbers down?

Because we kind of

came in again,

kind of violent.

You had homicides.

So what is your

thoughts and opinions on it?

So first,

just a little

of this conversation.

22% overall

violent crime reduction

for 2025.

17% overall for

part one crimes,

which is those

large major crimes.

We talk about

shootings.

We talk about

robberies

with that.

Double digits

reductions in

carjacking.

Almost like

48%

15% reduction in

property crimes.

So I just

want to make sure that

we're

saying that we

talk about the whole

with that being said.

Understand that we

did

in the year,

8% over for

homicides,

which I always say one is too

many.

Anyways,

that we always

look for zero.

But we had 90% reduction

in non-fiddle

shootings mean that

some I was shot,

but didn't die.

Even though we have a

8% increase

in homicides.

So the question is why?

We have a lot of

intimate situations

that just go on wrong.

We have a lot of

situations where

it's in the home.

We have a lot of

situations where we

know each other.

And those are really

hard to get in front of

because these are

sometimes split

moment.

Argonne goes bad.

Somebody has a gun at

their time and uses it.

And we have to look at

ways to how do we

deescalate

in our community

where one,

we don't feel that the

need to have a farm

introduce in these

conflict situations

as appropriate.

But also that we need to

understand that, you know,

why are we in possession

of farming the first place?

And so we're trying to

farm ways.

And I'm glad you brought

up the Office of Community

Wellness and Safety.

We treat, you know,

a heart attack or

somebody CPR as a

national responsibility

to know how to,

you know, do a CPR.

I say we need to teach

everybody deescalation

just the way you

teach CPR that you might

not have to, you know,

use it for somebody else.

You might have to use it

for yourself.

And we need to teach people

how to lean in

and have conflicts

not bad negative resolution

of conflict is bad.

How do we deal with conflict

in a way that can still be

meaningful without bringing

in the ultimate harm?

So that's one thing

that we're really in

with our community

based organizations.

We work with Office of Community

Wellness and Safety.

Love my brother Adam

Perstill.

He was a great partner.

There is so many

opportunities that the

Milwaukee Police Department

leans in to

ensure that we are part of

that discussion.

But don't be looking

to us as a

only and only solution.

We're part of working

with the community

to be a solution.

Another thing we're looking

at is using our,

you know, school resource officers

to do more proactive

engagement during the

summertime with schools out.

Meaning that having

those who built

relationships with these

kids over schools,

because that

NPS was the largest

school district in the

city.

Continue to nurture

those relationships

out there in those areas

where we see

concerns of our

young ones.

Because that's another

problem that we saw

with homicide.

Somebody was accidental.

Kids, unfortunately,

getting ahold of firearms

which

community, that's our fault.

Ain't nobody else's fault

by our own with

these young ones

having firearms, which

you have to be 21

in the state of

Wisconsin.

The possess.

So how to get them?

We leave them in the cars,

insecure,

we're leaving in our

house,

insecure.

So those, unfortunately,

are part of homicide

numbers in regards

that when kids use it

and play around

with it and

shoot themselves.

So I say,

Mom and his dad is

looking at kids' bedrooms.

Know who they hang around

with.

Understand that if you

are going to

possess, because it's not

in R.A.

Constitutional right,

this is about just

being responsible.

And so those are things

that we can do to really

lean in to help,

you know,

deal with some of these

situations.

We have a commitment

with the mayor

about

the year of the home,

working on how do we

have better results

of our homes

of seeing some of these

problems come into

the home of, again,

the best of viruses,

the contributed to our

homicide.

And so focusing on these

particular areas,

where there's our young ones,

where there's about

firearm responsibility,

where there's about,

you know, holding people

accountable.

Those who want to engage

in these particular type of

behaviors,

you know,

we're going to

enforce in regards

that you will not be able

to, again,

carry a farm.

If you're a felon,

that you shouldn't be

carrying a fire

or you are engaging

in bad behavior

in with a fire situation,

we're going to

ensure that we're going to

come down hard on you.

So there's a lot of things

that we can't do.

And I will say that,

you know,

we are kind of going

in that right direction

with our homicides

right now.

But you always,

like I said,

we can do more.

Even if it's too

less than less

today's year,

I'm not proud of that.

Zero is what I'm proud of.

And so working for that,

you know,

level of a goal,

it should be all of our goals

together.

Because I truly believe

and I always talk about

how important it is

that community,

we have to work

with law enforcement.

Yeah, absolutely.

You know,

there's a lot of people

that feel certain ways

about law enforcement.

But when they're in trouble,

who do they call?

Yeah,

they go as buses.

Right.

You from them.

That's it.

Yeah.

Like I always see her laugh.

That's it.

You know,

and I'm glad that

you were able to come in

and we're definitely

going to have to try

to make sure we get you

black in again.

Anytime.

You know, I know your schedule

is busy,

you know,

as we try.

I check.

Oh,

I'm a blow.

And I love your support

at all of the community

things that I do,

Chief,

you know,

see a day's out of dance.

Yes.

So

yeah,

my last time for my

daughter to come through,

so it's going to be a

clue.

Yeah, it's going to be a close

but

many, many years.

Yeah,

yeah, yeah, yeah.

I've shared this story

with some people.

Talk about your wife

and how that came out.

Actually,

this is something crazy

if you need to realize

how a blow DJ

is your wife.

Oh,

so my wife and I

met her while I was in law

school.

She was in medical school

and she looked over

and said,

that's the guy I want to

live with for us

in my life.

I have children with

and I didn't really have

it like that, but

I looked at her

and had that feeling.

And we are

celebrating our 24th

year, Mary.

We had a few beautiful

kids, you know,

happy anniversary.

Have a son and in college

and the daughter

who's going off to college.

But,

you know,

the

the relationship is real

and,

you know,

definitely appreciate

where Milwaukee

grown, walkie,

you know,

born and raised and lived here.

So we're committed.

Maybe I'm going to give him

my time for just to say a message

to that he wants the

community to hear.

But what do you got to say?

Uh, you know what?

Everybody stay safe

on these streets out here

and have a wonderful,

I won't see you again

till Friday.

So a wonderful

remainder of your week

and you know, I love you.

Chief, what would you like

to say to our

truth nation and

community right now?

First of all,

love conquers all

understand that when we want to

impact safety in our community,

we all have a responsibility.

There is no

wallflowers,

no sideline,

no one will be a bystander.

We all should be committed

in the work together

to make our community safe.

Truth nation,

hollow black,

the award-winning

truth with Sherwin Hughes

is up next.

OG Andrew,

thank you for a great show.

Thank you, Andrew.

Get out of here.

Please.