Board Members

The Board of Fire and Police Commissioners is a civilian body which oversees and prescribes general policies, standards, and rules in the Milwaukee Fire Department and the Milwaukee Police Department. The Commission also appoints all employees of the two public safety Departments, including the Department Chiefs. In addition to policy matters and employment functions, the Commission decides citizen complaints against Fire or Police employees. The Commission is comprised of seven part-time citizen board members, and a full-time professional staff led by an Executive Director.

The citizen board of the Commission holds regular business meetings twice each months except August, usually on the first and third Thursdays of the month, at 5.30 p.m. These meetings are open to the public, and provide an opportunity for interested persons to listen to discussion and offer comments on agenda matters. Meetings are usually held in the Common Council meeting rooms on the third floor of City Hall, but some are held in community locations. The Board also has two standing committees that meet periodically, the Committee on Rules and Complaints and the Policy Committee. Other committees are formed as needed.

The Commission's authority and responsibility are set forth in Wisconsin Statute 62.50 and in the Milwaukee City Charter. The seven citizen board Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor of Milwaukee and approved by the Common Council. Commissioners serve overlapping five-year terms, and receive a salary of $6,600.00 per year. The Commissioners elect a Chair and Vice-Chair. Diversity of background and experience makes the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners representative of the entire Milwaukee community.

The citizen board Commissioners are:

 Leonard J. Sobczak has been Chairman of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners since 2005. He was originally appointed in October, 2000, and his term expires July, 2010. He is the President-Principal of Eastmore Real Estate Management, Inc. in Milwaukee. He has a BBA in real estate and finance from UW-Madison. In May, 2003, Governor Doyle appointed him a commissioner with the State of Wisconsin Transportation Projects Commission.

Ernesto A. Baca was elected Vice Chair of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners in 2006. He was originally appointed in July, 2001. He is the Contract Manager at UMOS, Inc. (United Migrant Opportunity Services), an agency which provides workforce development and other social services.  He was previously Chief Financial Officer for the 16th Street Community Medical Health Center. He is a Board Member and Treasurer of the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, and a past Board member of Easter Seals of SouthEast Wisconsin. His term expires in July, 2011.

Richard C. Cox was appointed to the Board in December, 2005, when a former Commissioner resigned from the Board. His term expires in July, 2008. He worked for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office for seventeen years, in every rank from Deputy Sheriff to Administrator of Detention Services. He also served nine years as Superintendent of the Milwaukee County House of Correction.  He has a BS degree in Criminal Justice from UWM, and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and a Life Member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). He is currently Executive Director of Neighborhood House and the Governor's Appointee to the Social Development Commission (SDC).

Earl A. Buford was appointed to the Board in December, 2004. His term expires in July, 2009. He is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership/Big Step, Inc., a workforce intermediary that connects employers and unions to regional residents seeking careers in the skilled trades. He is also on the Associated General Contractors of America National Workforce Development Committee, State of Wisconsin Apprenticeship Advisory Council. He has a BA degree in History from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

 Kathryn Hein was appointed to the Board in June, 2008. Her term expires in 2013. Currently she is the Assistant Director of the Les Aspin Center for Government at Marquette University where she runs a program placing disadvantaged students in public service internships. She is also Secretary of the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center Board of Directors. Prior to her employment at Marquette she served as both District Director and Chief of Staff to Milwaukee Congressman Jerry Kleczka for over 20 years.  She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Appointments of two additional Commissioners are pending.

Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission

Michael G. Tobin, Executive Director

200 E. Wells Street, Room 706, Milwaukee WI 53202

414-286-5072
or send us e-mail.

June 2008