Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn faced aldermen in a formal setting for the first time this week, a mere five weeks after stepping into his new role.

Flynn seemed to impress Public Safety Committee members in positing his vision for policing our fair city. Flynn, with four gold stars on each shoulder, told the committee that residents might have to get used to a new style of MPD service. He said that obsession with response time and calls for service have come at the expense of crime prevention efforts.

"The department has taken its eyes off the ball," he said. "Perhaps we don't need the force and majesty of the state in your living room when something goes wrong."

He questioned whether two armed cops need to show up at every call and promises to put a plan together that he hopes would be a "national model." He said if residents are "willing to wait three hours for the cable guy" they might be willing to wait a little longer for the MPD to get to their door. He noted 81 percent of calls are not for crimes.

He said the goal is to drive the bad guys out of public spaces and disrupt hot spots. "Stabilizing a neighborhood and making people feel safe is important."

"I found police don't get criticized for stopping the same knuckleheads," he said.

When asked if he was inclined to allow off-duty cops to be hired by taverns as security, he said he would like to keep that "as a tool in my back pocket," but isn't going to use it for now. What's more important in stemming tavern violence is "altering that mental calculation" when someone decides they can go to their car and get a gun.

"We've got too many people who think they need to carry a gun," he said.

Grieving Over Graffiti: Graffiti has gotten to some South Side aldermen and they want it taken care of ... now. A proposal to give the Milwaukee Christian Center another $100,000 for its graffiti removal efforts cleared the Public Works Committee, but not without a testy exchange between those who have the money and those in charge of it.

The plan is to take the $100,000 from the Community Development Block Grant fund now, instead of waiting until May, the customary time when community organizations receiving block grants can get more funds to do their work.

The Christian Center received $39,000 last year for its work and that ran out in November, said Steve Mahan, director of the city's block grant funds. He urged aldermen to wait until May as a matter of fiscal responsibility, prompting Ald. Bob Donovan, who wants the money, to comment, "We have to bite the bullet and take the steps now ... My residents are not interested in listening to all the gobbledygook about fiscal responsibility."

The panel approved the transfer, but it faces an uncertain future in front of the Common Council at its next meeting.

The Trouble With Identity Theft: Two high-profile incidents of possible identity theft went down this week. At Milwaukee Public Schools, a computer containing names, addresses and Social Security numbers for about 3,000 teachers was stolen from its insurance carrier. The solution offered for MPS teachers worried about identity theft? They were told to be vigilant in checking their bank accounts and other personal credit information for the next two years. No word on lawsuits yet.

In Milwaukee County, information regarding sensitive medical information about people treated at county medical facilities was inadvertently released to a government watchdog group. It appeared on the group's Web site for at least a week. That goof got the American Civil Liberties Union involved. The ACLU has asked for an explanation regarding the foul up.

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