MILWAUKEE (SPECTRUM NEWS) — Milwaukee's police chief Alfonso Morales is speaking out about the directives handed to him by the city’s Fire and Police Commission (FPC).

Morales' attorney Frank Gimbel said Wednesday he has little confidence meeting all the requirements will guarantee the chief gets to keep his job.

The police chief will still tell you he loves the job. 

"I still love coming to work for the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department,” he said. “There's something to be said about this organization and the city of Milwaukee.”

The chief talked about his commitment to MPD and the community but said the department can't solve everything on its own. 

"In a time like the last few months where the police department has become the target, we need to be the organization that has to be supported,” Morales said. “We're here to work."

Last week, the FPC handed Morales 11 directives, most with tight deadlines.

"We're taking bodies and we're taking resources away from other areas of the organization to complete this," Morales pointed out.

Those legal orders from the oversight body include producing documents and reports and better communication from Morales. The FPC has accused the chief of ignoring its requests. 

Gimbel said, "He understands his need to communicate and work with the Fire and Police Commission, but the Fire and Police Commission doesn't seem to appreciate the fact that he's doing that, perhaps not in a fashion or form that works for them."

With the Democratic National Convention approaching and more protests expected, the MPD might have to change tactics when it comes to tear gas and pepper spray. The FTC has banned their use by MPD during demonstrations.  

The chief said these non-lethal tools for dispersing crowds have only been used on a limited basis since the protests started and only during an unlawful assembly. In that scenario, Morales commented the behavior of some puts peaceful protesters and officers at risk.

That ban by the FPC has led to some other law enforcement agencies pulling commitments from the DNC, something Morales said he understands.  

"When we have leadership in the city of Milwaukee that is going to condemn the MPD for some of the things we did to keep the city safe, I understand that other departments outside of the City of Milwaukee might have concerns and say, ‘You know what, I don't want to put my officers in that danger.'"

Some of the deadlines for the 11 directives have passed and according to Gimble, the chief has met those, but he said that might not make a difference when it comes to Morales keeping his job.  

"No, I don't have confidence because of what's happened up to today and the way the chief has been handled,” he said. “He's been handled kind of like an outlaw or a renegade [...] It looks as though Chief Morales is swimming against a very stiff current, and the current is we want to put someone else in that job."

The FPC has said if the chief doesn't meet the deadlines, Morales could face suspension, reduction in rank or termination.

As far as the commission banning police from using tear gas and pepper spray, Gimble said the chief will have to make his case to the FPC in order to use those tools, if necessary, during DNC protests.

The full Fire and Police Commission meets again August 6.