Step One

After the Frank Jude, Jr. beating, how can the Milwaukee Police Department pick up the pieces?

How can it restore its credibility with the public?

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

It was clear that Milwaukee Police Chief Nan Hegerty intended to take a step on the arduous journey to improve relations between Milwaukee residents and the police department. She was defintely on a rebuilding mission.

Decked out in full uniform, Hegerty sat down for an interview with Mike Gousha of NBC affiliate TMJ4.

Her main message was trust. She knows the department faces a difficult challenge, but she plans to regain the public’s trust one day at a time, one case at a time.

"Give us a chance. Give us a chance to show you who we are, not who we aren't."

Regarding the Jude case, her biggest disappointment is that all of these officers were around while Jude was beaten mercilessly and they didn't stop it.

Moreover, Hegerty was disturbed that no one cooperated with the investigation, not even the on-duty officers. She said they all "clammed up."

Nonetheless, Hegerty did stand up for her officers, saying that it's a "very small, small" part of the department that is a problem. Most officers are decent, hard-working, and committed to protecting the public.

While the bulk of the interview was spent discussing how Hegerty is handling the fall-out from the Jude verdicts, Gousha briefly touched on the accidental drowning deaths of Quadrevion Henning and Purvis Parker, two Milwaukee boys that had been missing for nearly a month before their bodies were discovered in a park lagoon.

She attended both of their funerals and was greeted warmly by the mourners. Hegerty believes that the community understands how devoted she and so many officers were to finding Quadrevion and Purvis. Obviously, not every city of Milwaukee cop is devoid of decency.

The contrast between how the MPD handled their search for the missing boys and how officers behaved in the Jude incident is striking. Wisconsin and the nation became aware of the best and the worst that the MPD has to offer.

To her credit, Hegerty wasn't defensive about charges that there is a problem in the department. She acknowledged the reality.

Hegerty said, “I believe there is a code of silence.” She insists that she’s going to do everything she can to change that.

Gousha concluded the interview by asking the police chief whether the experience of the Jude case has had an impact on her personally.

Hegerty said, "It's made me more determined than ever" to bring the police department and the community together.

I believe that Hegerty can make a difference. She has steadiness, integrity, and a sincere commitment to the people, qualities that so many so-called leaders, like Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, are lacking.

Who knows if Hegerty will be successful?

I think she's providing the leadership, but she can only do so much.

For real change, members of the community and members of the police department have to take responsibility and decide whether or not they want to work together toward better relations and a better quality of life.