The Milwaukee City Comptroller's audit confirmed that Milwaukee police Sergeants Grant and Cornejo assigned to the public relations information section working under Chief of Staff DeSiato from former Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales's office in 2020 had sent out tweets to the public that were later deemed false and contained misleading information that Chief Morales had approved.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
October 27, 2021
Milwaukee, WI - On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Comptroller's Office released an audit report to the Milwaukee Common Council Finance and Personnel Committee confirming that the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) Public Information/Relations Office under Chief of Staff Nicholas DeSiato in former Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales Office including former Acting Police Chief Michael Brunson had sent out misleading and misinformation claims on their MPD Twitter account in June 2020.
One of those misleading tweets was that MPD claimed that peaceful protesters had thrown Molotov cocktails (improvised explosive device) at police during a peaceful protest at N. 6 Street and W. McKinley Ave. on June 2, 2020, which led for police to counter respond with pepper gas canisters targeted at peaceful protesters.
According to testimony by Charles Roedel, auditor from the City's Comptroller's Office, it was untrue, but what was actually thrown at police was a water bottle, which was never tested by police, if in fact, it contained any flammable liquid or chemicals that would ignite an explosion.
At the time, several Milwaukee Police Sergeants Sheronda Grant and Efrain Cornejo were assigned to the social network Twitter account, The Source and Public Relations Information section at MPD under the direction of MPD Chief of Staff DeSiato who worked for former Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales and later for Acting Milwaukee Police Chief Michael Brunson. Both Morales and Brunson are no longer at MPD, but Sergeant Cornejo continues to be assigned to the Public Relations Information media section under the supervision of Chief of Staff DeSiato who now works directly for Acting Police Chief Jeffrey Norman who is expected to become the next police chief, if approved by the Milwaukee Common Council in November.
MPD has definitely lost credibility for misleading and engaging in misinformation to cover up questionable acts by sending multiple misleading tweets and if Acting Chief Norman wants to regain public trust, Norman should replace DeSiato and Sgt. Cornejo from the Public Information section and be transparent as well.
Any police supervisor assigned to the public information section and MPD Chief of Staff DeSiato should be held accountable and removed immediately from such official positions to regain trust from the community they are suppose to serve.
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