AUSTIN, TX - Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax has announced the top finalists for the Chief of Police position. After consideration and review of all applicants, Broadnax has identified for consideration: 

• Lisa Davis, Assistant Police Chief, Cincinnati Police Department
• Jeffrey B. Norman, Chief of Police, Milwaukee Police Department 
   

“The search for a permanent Chief of Police was at the top of my priority list when I came on as Austin City Manager in May,” Broadnax said. “I am confident we have identified the best candidates that will enable us to select an exemplary, experienced leader to guide the dedicated men and women of the Austin Police Department while continuing to collaborate and build trust with the community.”

The candidates under consideration will be introduced at a meet-and-greet event on Tuesday, July 23, at the Palmer Event Center, located at 900 Barton Springs Road. The event begins at 6 p.m. and doors will open to the public at 5:30 p.m. Free parking will be provided in the adjacent parking garage, which can be accessed from Barton Springs Road or Riverside Drive.  

As part of the Chief of Police recruitment process, the City is inviting community members to submit questions that may be included during a moderated discussion. Questions can be submitted on the Speak Up Austin page or by calling 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000. Questions will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. Friday, July 19. 

Those attending the event can also submit questions for consideration by arriving at the Palmer Event Center between 5:30 and 6 p.m. to present their questions in person. 

The public will hear opening remarks and a discussion moderated by veteran Austin news anchor Judy Maggio. After that, attendees will have the opportunity to interact with candidates from 7:30 to 8 p.m.  

Interpretation services for American Sign Language, Mandarin, Spanish and Vietnamese will be available at the event. Services for other languages can be requested by calling 3-1-1 or 512-974-2000 no later than Thursday, July 18. 

Those who cannot attend can stream the event live on ATXN.TV (ATXN2-English and ATXN3-Spanish). 

The City Manager hopes to present his top candidate for Chief of Police to the Austin City Council for consideration and approval on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. 
 

CANDIDATE BIOS

Lisa Davis

Lisa Davis is an Assistant Police Chief with the Cincinnati Police Department.

She is currently the Investigations Bureau Commander which oversees Homicide, Major Offenders, Narcotics and Personal Crimes.

She has held multiple roles throughout her career but specializes in building community relationships and using problem-solving and evidence-based policing to address crime and disorder. She created a city-wide problem-solving unit trained to address crime and disorder in chronically violent locations reducing overall crime and increasing the quality of life for area residents.

As the commander of Police District One she implemented a crime strategy utilizing focused deterrence and place-based initiatives that dramatically reduced shootings and robberies.

Assistant Chief Davis is passionate about community policing and building police legitimacy through community partnerships. She developed a specialized unit to address at-risk population victimization that includes the LGBTQ community, Latino/Hispanic community, human trafficking victims and homeless youth.

She also developed a police cadet program that provides eight weeks of summer employment for inner city youth. She is also a strong advocate for officer wellness and mental health awareness.

As part of her personal development, she has attended the Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP), the Southern Police Institute (SPI), the Police Executive Leadership Institute (PELI) and the Police Executive Leadership College (PELC). She has received several awards including the Superior Achievement in Law Enforcement and the Award of Valor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Xavier University.

Lieutenant Colonel Davis grew up in the inner city of Cincinnati and is a proud product of its public schools.

Jeffrey B. Norman

Chief Jeffrey B. Norman was appointed to the Milwaukee Police Department in 1996.  As an officer, Chief Norman served in District 1, District 2 and the Technical Communications Division until his promotion to detective in 2002.  As a detective, he served in the Robbery Division, Violent Crimes Division and Homicide Division until his promotion to lieutenant in 2010.  As a lieutenant, he served in the Property Crimes Division, Metropolitan Division (Robbery Task Force, Homicide Unit and Cold Case Unit) and District 5 as the dayshift commander. Promoted to captain in 2017, he commanded the Inspections Division and District 3.  In 2020 he was promoted to Assistant Chief. 

Chief Norman was the executive commander of the Criminal Investigation Bureau.  The Criminal Investigation Bureau oversees the Homicide, Special Investigation, Violent Crimes, General Crimes, Sensitive Crimes, Fusion and Forensic Divisions.  Chief Norman was the former commander of District 3; where he instituted robust community engagement for his team, a mission he still holds today.   Chief Norman was also the former commander of the Inspections Division.  The Inspections Division operates the Inspection, Accreditation, Audit and CJIS Compliance Units.  Chief Norman oversaw the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group (WILEAG) accreditation standards for the department and ensures districts and divisions are regularly audited and inspected for compliance according to departmental policies and procedures, national law enforcement best practices, and federal, state and local law.

On December 23, 2020, he was appointed to serve as the Acting Chief of the Milwaukee Police Department. On November 15, 2021, Chief Norman was sworn in as the Chief of the Milwaukee Police Department.

Chief Norman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Masters of Public Administration degree from Kaplan University and a Juris Doctor degree from Marquette University Law School.  Chief Norman is the Central Region representative for the Major Cities Chiefs Association, a graduate of the FBI LEEDA’s Executive and Command Institutes, Southern Police Institute’s Chief Executive Leadership, International Associations of Chiefs of Police’s Leadership in Police Organizations.  He has also completed the 68th Session of the Police Executive Research Forum - Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP) in Boston, MA and the 45th Session of the FBI National Executive Institute.