Shorewood Police Commission Member Resigns

SHOREWOOD, WI — Charles "Chuck" Carlson, a Shorewood Police Commission member for 15 months and a longstanding member of the community's Police Accountability Committee, publicly resigned from his post at the Village Board meeting Monday.

Carlson had been outspoken about the changes he wanted to see within the board. He previously told Patch that a number of findings from a police study commissioned by the Village should be acted upon sooner.

How soon, or if it is all possible, is up to Village leaders to decide. A lawyer recently gave the Village Board of Trustees and the Police Commission some guidance in that area.

On Aug. 2, Attorney Steven Zach gave a presentation about the Police Commission's legal powers. One takeaway from the meeting was "optional powers," a process that would require years of organizational reworking, but it could bring some of the changes Carlson has spoken on.

Attorney Steven Zach's presentation on police commission powers can be viewed here.

Carlson had spoken about introducing more immediate civilian oversight and public interaction to the Police Commission to assist with one of the commissions most important powers, the ability to hire and fire people within the department.

"I realized that I couldn't be effective as a voice who didn't believe that the Police Commission should only do what a police chief tells it to do," Carlson told Patch.

His leaving came with the hope that his position could be filled with someone that can help make the Commission more diverse, Carlson said.

Soon, the Shorewood Police Commission will have to find a new Chief of Police. The current one, Peter Nimmer, will be leaving for Brown Deer at the end of the month. The opening is "a huge opportunity," Carlson said.

"The Police Commission is solely responsible for appointing our new Police Chief. That appointment must reflect the values of the entire community. The Village of Shorewood has invested in and embraced equity, diversity and inclusion, and the Police Commission
must be a diverse and inclusive body in order to hire a chief who shares these values," Carlson said in the meeting as he resigned.

See also: Discussion On Shorewood Police Accountability Continues Monday