“I didn’t leak any video and I’m looking into it,” said Milwaukee Police Department Chief Alfonso Morales during a community listening session this week at UMOS. (Photo by Edgar Mendez) Editor’s note: This story has been updated to provide more context regarding the Milwaukee Police Department’s relationship with the city’s Office of Violence Prevention. The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission is conducting a review to determine whether a full investigation should be ordered after the release of a video featuring the questioning of a prominent Milwaukee developer by the Milwaukee Police Department. The video, which some allege was leaked by the MPD, was part of an investigation into an alleged sexual assault. The ongoing review was confirmed by Griselda Aldrete, executive director of the commission, during a community listening session Monday that featured recently reappointed Police Chief Alfonso Morales at UMOS, 2701 S. Chase Ave. Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing! The video shows Kalan Haywood Sr., who was accompanied by Steven DeVougas, a lawyer and chairman of the commission, being questioned by police. Haywood is the founder of the Haywood Group, a prominent real estate development, investment and consulting firm. Some have called the leak of the video a political maneuver to push forward the confirmation of Morales in late December. Others have accused DeVougas of violating ethics guidelines in support of a client. The leak also was heavily criticized by several Common Council members during a recent meeting of the Steering and Rules Committee. If a full investigation is ordered, it would be conducted by an outside party, Aldrete said. No timeline for the decision was provided nor was more information given on whether or not a complaint prompted the commission’s review. The announcement came after community members grilled Morales about the video. “I didn’t leak any video, and I’m looking into it,” Morales said several times without specifically confirming whether or not an investigation was taking place. “We’re looking into it, and we’re looking into ways to prevent leaks from happening,” he added later. The two-hour meeting teetered back and forth between criticism of Morales and the MPD and praise for the department. Like the listening session last week at Unity Gospel House of Prayer on the North Side, the South Side meeting kicked off with a presentation by Morales that touted reduced homicides and robberies in addition to declines in several other categories of violent and nonviolent crimes from 2017 to 2019. It also included several personal stories about community outreach that Morales, a Milwaukee native, has conducted. Several attendees pointed out what seems to be a frayed relationship between the police department and several local organizations, including the immigrant rights group, Voces De La Frontera. “What strategies are in place to ensure we don’t criminalize and harm specific communities,” asked Voces De La Frontera organizer Giselle Vera, whose uncle Erick Gamboa Chay was detained in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid in Milwaukee in 2018. Gamboa was released after being held for six months, according to a Wisconsin Watch story. Vera questioned Morales specifically about Relentless Pursuit a federal initiative launched in Milwaukee and six other cities in December. Morales, flanked by MPD executive and command staff, said MPD officials don’t make laws but are obliged to enforce them. He said some of the questions from the audience were politically motivated. “We can’t allow organizations to politicize the role of the police department,” he said, drawing cheers from many in the overflow crowd of more than 150. When asked by an attendee whether he thought the Office of Violence Prevention had contributed to reducing violence in the city and if he intended supporting its efforts going forward, Morales responded by saying, “There is no one organization that can take credit.” When asked again about the group’s efforts, Morales said he didn’t have any data to confirm whether or not the office had contributed to the drop in violence in the city. Later in the meeting when asked again whether MPD would work with the office, Morales said it was the Office of Violence Prevention that had backed away. “Don’t know why they won’t work with us. It’s on them,” said Morales, who added that the office still works with representatives at three of the MPD’s seven districts. In an email to NNS, Reggie Moore, director of the Office of Violence Prevention, did not respond directly to Morales’ comments. He did, however, mention a community meeting that took place Tuesday, Jan. 28 at Ascension St.