Charges have been drawn up against at least one Milwaukee firefighter following an investigation stemming from "a brown figurine found hanging by a pink looped ribbon" discovered in a station earlier this year, the department said this week.
The charges are the result of an internal investigation into the Feb. 13 incident, according to a department statement released Sunday. The individual responsible for the display self-identified, and the investigation identified "who were aware of or should have been aware of" how damaging the figurine could be, the department added.
"While the investigation’s findings do not reveal a deliberate or intentional racist or sexist intent, nor an effort to target any individual member or group, it is no small matter that our failure, collectively, to maintain and reinforce an environment and culture within which an occurrence such as this would instantly be questioned and stopped, bears much responsibility for this," the department stated.
The department plans to read the charges during a press conference this week, but no time has been scheduled. Also, other firefighters will have letters of reprimand put in their files in connection with the incident.
Following the investigation, the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission, a civilian oversight body, has directed all members of the department to go through anti-harassment training in the next months.
