Milwaukee violence prevention leader resigns, raising legal questions

MILWAUKEE - The unexpected resignation of Milwaukee’s violence prevention leader is triggering questions at City Hall, with limited time to determine next steps before the decision takes effect.

What we know:

Adam Procell, who has led the Office of Community Wellness and Safety for five months, announced his resignation, effective Feb. 11. Procell has been open about his past, including a homicide conviction as a teenager, and said that experience helped inform his approach to violence prevention.

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., called Procell’s departure a loss for the city.

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"It’s a great loss. I’m really heartbroken that we couldn’t figure out a way to do something," she said. "It was quick."

The issue stems from a structural change approved in the Common Council’s 2026 budget, which moved the Office of Community Wellness and Safety into a standalone department. City officials now say that change made Procell ineligible to serve as department head under the Wisconsin Constitution.

Article 13 of the Wisconsin Constitution states: "No person convicted of a felony...shall be eligible to any office of trust, profit or honor in this state unless pardoned of the conviction."

Ald. Robert Bauman said neither he nor city leaders were aware of the constitutional provision at the time.

What they're saying:

"It’s an unfortunate provision of the state constitution," Bauman said. "He seemed to be a guy who came well recommended. His experience seemed to fit the job, but that’s the law, basically."

Bauman said reverting the office back to a division under another department is not a viable workaround, noting the council deliberately created a department to have a role in selecting its leader.

Moore said the short timeline complicates any potential solution.

"Two weeks’ timeline, I would say, is not enough time to figure out what those next steps are," she said.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson dismissed the idea of appointing Procell as a deputy to avoid the department head restriction.

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"That would essentially be a demotion," Johnson said. "I’m not gonna demote him for that to happen."

Dig deeper:

Some have questioned whether a gubernatorial pardon could resolve the issue. The office of Gov. Tony Evers said a person must be off all prison and supervised release for at least five years to be eligible. 

Procell was paroled in 2018 and does not yet meet that requirement.

FOX6 also obtained paperwork for a newly registered committee seeking a referendum to return the office to division status, which would allow Procell to remain in the role. However, Wisconsin law does not allow voters to bring ballot measures of that kind.