Milwaukee police officer accused of child abuse has long history of misconduct allegations

A Milwaukee police officer recently charged with felony child abuse and strangulation has a long history of misconduct allegations, dating to his days as an officer-in-training.

In seven years on the force, Frank Williams, 30, was investigated for 33 allegations of wrongdoing across 16 incidents. At least four of those allegations concerned potential criminal violations.

That’s according to more than 300 pages of internal affairs and personnel records about Williams, obtained by the Journal Sentinel through an open records request.

The records detail allegations including excessive force, keeping a drug house, turning off his body camera while dealing with civilians and interfering with investigations into his relatives.

Multiple times, he’s been accused of making sexual and other inappropriate comments toward women he encountered on the job, including colleagues and a hospital nurse, according to department records.

And accusations that Williams used excessive force while working extra duty in uniform as security led to managers at three businesses requesting he not be assigned there, the documents show.

Williams also had his personal SUV stolen last year with his gun inside. When officers ended up in a vehicle pursuit with the suspect, records show the suspect likely used that gun to fire at Williams’ fellow officers.

Of the 33 allegations made against Williams, eight were sustained.

Internal affairs records show that, when confronted about the incidents, Williams would often admit to his actions and say he wouldn't do it again. However, he would also often deny that his actions were in violation of department policy, documents show.

He has faced relatively minor discipline, with one exception: a 30-day suspension after he called in sick for work and on the same day made social media posts about participating in a recreational basketball league.

Officials with the Milwaukee Police Department, the Fire and Police Commission and an attorney for Williams either declined or did not return requests for comment for this story. Williams is on full suspension from the police department.

He has not entered a plea in his child abuse case and is free on a $5,000 signature bond.

A summary of the allegations were reviewed by policing expert David Thomas. He called Williams’ record “shocking” and argued his continued employment created a range of liability concerns for the police department.

“The repercussions, to me, are multiple,” said Thomas, who is a retired Maryland police officer. “The longer they allow it to go on, the more of a problem they are festering.”

Williams faced multiple accusations of protecting family members from investigations

From the beginning, Williams’ career was bumpy. Among the more notable misconduct allegations, according to police records:

In 2017, when Williams was an officer-in-training, police were pursuing a stolen car that they'd spotted driving recklessly multiple times that day.

The car belonged to Williams, who told investigators multiple people had access to it. He was later investigated for failing to disclose information that would have helped police locate the driver, but did not face punishment.

Williams told police that, in hindsight, he made a mistake and failed to notify his supervisors of details about the multiple incidents involving his car.

Less than a year later, Williams was investigated again after allegedly informing a relative that police were on their way to arrest him on domestic violence-related charges, after hearing the assignment on police radio.

Williams told internal investigators that he learned from the incident and it wouldn't happen again. He again faced no punishment.

In November 2019, Williams was investigated under suspicion of maintaining a drug house, after police chased a relative of his back to the residence he shared with Williams and other family.

Williams was present in the home when officers entered to arrest the pursuit suspect. There, officers observed marijuana, scales, baggies and other items associated with drug dealing “in plain view.”

Officers later obtained a search warrant to search the house. The only marijuana found was behind the locked door of a bedroom out of Williams’ control, the report said.

While records show Williams did not face consequences, the report said he was detained pending the outcome of the investigation, and three of his family members were arrested.

Accusations of making sexual comments to coworkers

In November 2018, a nurse submitted a complaint to the Fire and Police Commission alleging that Williams made sexual comments toward her while he guarded a prisoner in her care, causing her to fear for her safety. The nurse at the time was dating a Milwaukee officer.

In an interview with police, Williams said he didn't remember making any of those comments "whatsoever."

In February 2019, he was accused again of making sexually explicit comments to a female coworker by asking about her intimate relationship with her partner, another Milwaukee officer.

Williams denied making inappropriate remarks, the report said, because of the relationship he had with her and "the way that they were used to talking to one another."

Only one of those allegations was sustained after an investigation. Williams received a low-level reprimand.

Businesses requested Williams not be assigned as security

In 2021, while Williams was working in uniform as additional security at a north-side Walmart, he allegedly slammed the head of a suspected shoplifter into a wall in a struggle to handcuff her.

Workers at the store told internal investigators that “Williams is the only officer that fights with people” and failed to de-escalate situations with customers. They requested he not be assigned to the store anymore — the third business to make such a request about Williams.

His actions were reviewed for potential criminal charges by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, but nothing was filed.

An internal Police Department investigation into the incident resulted in a two-day suspension for Williams for behavior that could discredit the department.

According to the report, Williams told internal investigators that "he could have done better." He said after the incident, "he took time to talk to her" and has spoken about this incident and "other life issues" since then.

Williams' gun used by suspect during police chase

In March 2023, Williams parked his car outside of his girlfriend’s house and realized 30 minutes later it had been stolen, with his gun inside. Hours later, officers pursued that vehicle and the driver on two occasions fired a gun at them.

An analysis determined the driver was likely firing Williams’ gun.

Williams attempted to work in community, wanted to become police chief one day

Williams’ personnel file also shows his many attempts to work in the community — throwing block parties, charitable events, community clean-ups, handing out hot meals and speaking in front of youth.

But after being given a chance to serve as a community liaison officer in 2021, he flamed out of the position in less than a year, records show. A sergeant in the office reported Williams blocked the cell phone numbers of his coworkers, refused to help with community events and didn’t return phone calls from community members.

He was paid just under $110,000 in 2022, according to city records.

Williams worked at multiple police districts, including District Three, when Chief Jeffrey Norman and Assistant Chief Steven Johnson served in leadership roles there. In one memo about Williams’ transfer to another shift, Johnson, then a lieutenant, wrote to Norman, then a captain, that Williams wants to “one day become chief.”

Williams created liability issues for department, expert says

Thomas, the policing expert who specializes in policy development and training, said he was shocked Williams’ career survived his first year, “when pretty much anything will get you fired.”

Thomas acknowledged that union protections often make it difficult for police officials across the country to hold officers accountable. But he still criticized the Milwaukee Police Department for not firing him earlier in his career or punishing him more severely.

“It’s beyond me how it got this far with all his conduct unbecoming,” Thomas said. “All of those things are huge violations. You set a precedent when you allow someone to get away with all of this.”

The police department declined to make Norman, who was named chief in December 2020, and Johnson, promoted to assistant chief a year later, available for an interview.

Miriam Horwitz and Dana World-Patterson, the chair and vice chair of the Fire and Police Commission, which has oversight powers over the Police Department, also declined comment, as did Andrew Wagner, the president of the union representing rank-and-file officers.

Michael Steinle, the attorney representing Williams in the child abuse case, did not return a request for comment.

Thomas argued the department continued to “enable” Williams the longer he stayed employed and it created a wide range of liability issues for the department.

He said some of the incidents Williams was accused of involved conflict with other officers or people close to them, such as the case in which he allegedly made unwanted sexual remarks at a hospital nurse, the girlfriend of a Milwaukee officer.

Thomas called that “really dangerous because now we have two officers who are at odds with one another.”

The sustained allegation of him lying about a sick day, mixed with various other allegations, also created credibility issues for Williams. To hold violators responsible, officers can’t afford to have court testimony called into question, Thomas said.

“It can screw up any cases that he has pending or has had in the past when it comes to his honesty,” he said.

Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on X at @elliothughes12. Contact Quinn Clark at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @Quinn_A_Clark. Contact Ashley Luthern at ashley.luthern@jrn.com. Follow her on X at @aluthern.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee police officer had history of misconduct before abuse charge