Milwaukee Police Chief Edward A. Flynn had some explaining to do after it was revealed that the 61-year-old married man had been engaged in a romantic relationship with 39-year-old reporter Jessica McBride.
The affair, which started up earlier this year, was revealed by Daniel Bice of the Journel Sentinel, who obtained from an anonymous source, letters and e-mail messages that the couple had reportedly exchanged.
A former reporter at the Journal Sentinel from 1994-2004, McBride is now a journalism lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as well as a prominent figure in the community–who regularly appears as a local talk show host and is a well known political blogger.
McBride is married to Paul Bucher, a former Waukesha County District Attorney. She penned an article for Milwaukee Magazine earlier this year–a glowing profile of Edward Flynn entitled The Cop Who Can’t Stop. Members of the police force ironically referred to the story as a “love letter to the chief” long before news of the affair surfaced.
A full two weeks passed after the news of the chief’s extramarital affair was revealed by Bice, with Flynn and McBride dodging reporters questions and barring the newsman from a press conference on a different matter. On Thursday, the chief finally made a public statement, though he did not mention McBride by name.
Flynn said, “I have done my wife and family a great wrong, and I profoundly regret the hurt I have inflicted on them and others affected by my conduct. I accept the personal and public consequences of my private behavior. I have damaged my public reputation and violated the trust and love of my family.”
A handwritten note presumed to have been penned by McBride and revealed by Bice said, ” I honestly had myself almost convinced that we were going to talk about the police department at Brocach (Irish Pub and Restaurant on Water Street) that night! Now that sounds so naive. But something special happened between us that night; I will always cherish it. A complete meeting on all levels – mind, body, heart that I have never experienced. You completed me that night.”
Another interesting note is the fact that McBride has taught ethics as part of her journalism classes at UWM. According the SPJ code of ethics, a reporter should “remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.”
Flynn took over his duties as Milwaukee Police Chief in January 2008. He was previously the Police Commissioner in Springfield, Massachusetts and prior to that worked in the Executive Office of Public Safety for then Governor Mitt Romney.
STORY UPDATE November 19, 2009: For the second time in recent months, Paul Bucher has filed for divorce from prominent journalist Jessica McBride. He recently confronted Police Chief Edward Flynn once again with new proof that the affair with his wife is still ongoing, citing a rendezvous that occurred on September 14 as evidence. In light of the new information, Bucher has called for the resignation of Flynn.
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