February
2008
A Deputy’s Plea for Leadership from Sheriff Clarke
Dear Sheriff David Clarke,
I am a Deputy Sheriff and a proud wearer of the Police Officer badge. As I sit in the trenches day after day, I must deal with the uncertainty of what has become of my vocation, a burning passion, and my life.
As a member of law enforcement, like the military to a certain extent, we follow a chain of command. Here in Milwaukee County we look to you as our leader.
Day after day, I hear you being maligned by my co-workers, members of the press, and other members of the government, to name a few. I hear stories of corruption, self service, ego driven decisions, and double standards. I witness morale crumbling to the ground and I can see it in the eyes of my fellow officers that they are losing the faith. The flame is dwindling.
When I chose to be police officer, I was proud. Boy was I proud! I was proud that I chose a life of servitude for my fellow citizens. I looked up to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Law Enforcement Code of Conduct, and I beamed with pride thinking of the many ways in which I would honor those principles and make the community a better place to live. I dreamt of earning a reputation as a fair, honest, disciplined and ethical individual who, even when I made mistakes, stood for everything that it’s right in this great country of ours.
These days, however, I find myself being embarrassed and deflated. I continually encounter walls placed there in an effort to make my job more difficult. I expected that, but I did not expect those walls to come from within my own Department. I’m no longer allowed to use discretion and all my powers to do the right thing have been slowly stripped away from me. I find myself being worried and sometimes scared of taking part, for fear of choosing a direction which will penalize me in the eyes of my superiors. I feel as though I am no longer a Police Officer. I now feel like a pawn in some sort of cruel political game that I do not understand. I find myself in the middle of stubborn fights between my leader and my brotherhood, and there seem to be no end in sight. I don’t even know who is right or wrong anymore. That ceased to matter a long time ago.
Dear Sir, I plead to you, enough with the games, contradictions, and reprehensible essays. Enough with the name calling, persecution, and partiality. We have an important job to do, and every day we seem to move farther away from accomplishing that job the way it was intended. I wish to be treated like you would like to be treated, I have earned that. I realize that there will always be a small percentage of us who will never live up to the standards, and who will always cut corners and find blame on everyone but themselves when things go wrong. I also believe that that group does not a majority make and I am insulted when I am talked to as part of that group. If in the process of exposing those who do not deserve to wear the badge, you alienate and disempowered those of us who do, then you have failed us all.
Dear Sheriff, and I address you by your title with all respect due your position, what can we do, together, so that once more I can be proud to represent the law and wear the badge that I chose to honor when a took my oath? I do not care about promotions, recognition, or awards. All the recognition I need I get from my fellow citizens when I have helped them in their hour of need. I get it from my family when they see me beam with pride as I leave for work every day. I get it from my peers when they recognize a job well done.
Sheriff, I need a leader. I need someone who will give me some direction and supply me with the tools I need to do the job efficiently and well. I need my leader to lead, by his behavior as well as words. I need a leader who remembers what it was to be a young Police Officer devoid of any cynicism and unethical thoughts. I need you, to remember the time when the only thing that mattered was the community’s well being and the well being of your people so that we could complete our task successfully. I need to know that you will deal with me swiftly when I don’t live up to my standards but will stand by me when I’ve being wronged.
I need you, Dear Sheriff, to come out from behind the mask from whence you’ve been hiding and develop into the leader that you showed us many years ago when you first joined our organization. I believe you can do that, I believe that deep down your ultimate goal is the betterment of the community, just like me. I need a leader.
With Regards,
A Deputy
“Attitude is Everything”
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Typically Watchdog Milwaukee is directly critical of Sheriff Clarke for the way he handles his job. For now, we’ll refrain from elaborating (that’s what the archives are for). The deputy who wrote this piece clearly isn’t to the point where he’s written Clarke off but we believe the decision as to whether that will happen or not is up to none other than the Sheriff. All the same, the Deputy does not want his name shared as he has seen what has happened to other Deputies that have dared to criticize Clarke. Since Clarke is capricious and has shown a pattern of vindictiveness, we do not share the names of officers who could lose their jobs or face demotions and disciplinary action for voicing their opinions. Before commenting on this story, reader are asked to read the updates to the comment policy available at the top of this page.
Jim McGuigan
Clarke Watch, Guest Columnists
Boy I sure hope this letter was sent to many others than just Watchdog. Lets see County Supervisors, Media, The Sheriff himself, everybody. This is too good to just waste on a blog. This letter nails it.
Welcome to the real world!!
After re-reading what this deputy wrote, it’s obvious that he is very passionate about his job and I admire that, I really do. BUT…if you’re this passionate, why not submit this letter non-anonymously directly to Clarke with specifics so that he may act on them? Why submit an anonymous letter to a blogsite that you know Clarke doesn’t read? What good does that do? Put your money where your mouth is and really make a concerted, passionate effort for good and meaningful change.
mkelover, I don’t agree with you, but you are absolutely correct. This letter should go straight to the sheriff and other outlets.
Any Deputy who submits this letter directly to Clarke with his name attached had better be prepared to walk a solo beat in the ‘hood in sub-zero weather.
I think a deputy would get further by personally giving this to Clarke, man to man, instead of going through the union or some media outlet. If you go to the media/union, Clarke probably would be upset that you didn’t come to him directly with this. Although I don’t know the man I am guessing you’ll get more flies with honey than vinegar.
Of course that would be the thing to do, but get some backup with the other outlets. So when Clarke blows his cork, he’d still have to answer. Something he’s never done. But God forbid if he signs it with an ineligible signature.
Having been the victim of his misuse of power and position, I for one, would NEVER submit it with my name on it. Once in his sights, you are done.
I agree with mkelover and Michael, that he should have gone directly to Clarke with this, and keep the blogs and other opinions out of it. Might actually accomplish something.
Deputies,
The folks who are critical of the deputy for not submitting the letter directly to Clarke clearly haven’t been following the way that Clarke treats his men. From the perspective of someone who has been following Clarke’s career while Sheriff, it is clear that the author would have found himself disciplined had he not written the letter anonymously. Clarke will ignore it here just as he does when any criticism of him is put to him.
The best part the letter isn’t critical of Clarke. It shows what I believe 90% of the deputies feel. I talk with the deputies dailey, and you can be assured that they only go to work and thats basically it. Everything that has been mentioned in the letter is felt by the deputies. The passion and the pride in their jobs has been sapped by Clarke and his command staff. They are damned if they do and damed if they don’t. Lets look at the ‘investigations’ into the signatures. This may be a violation of their 4th Admendment Rights. Jim, you are right. If this deputy would sign his/her name to the letter he/she would be doomed under the ‘Administration of Fear’ But I do believe that this letter should be put out under other means. Clarke would have to do something if it would be put out there and his beloved public would take note. And I do believe that the public could realize what a phony Clarke really is. It’s things like this letter that can do it. Remember Clarke depends on Democrat only votes and a few Republican cross overs. Him running as a Democrat is his ticket to the office and I believe that its a minority of the voters that actually vote for Clarke on merits. Run him as an Independant or Republican and he would loose. Enough of that I still think that there is a way to get the deputies letter out there. All it takes is some public offical to stand up to this guy and that would be it. Thats why it would have been a pleasure to see Clarke as mayor or police chief. He would actually have to answer to the public on a much broader scope than he does as sheriff. I’d be willing to bet he would falter on a much larger scale. Sheriff does not put him in that light. So unfortunately the ‘Administration of Fear’ will live on and Clarke will continue to deplete a once proud organization, the MCSD.
I thought that letter was honest and from the heart(hopefully). This is someone who wants to be a true blue officer. I could only hope Sheriff Clarke would look at this and put the defenses down on both sides, if this does not happen we all suffer. It is unfortunate that other pay for officers that have given up and crossed over the line and that leadership treats all as the enemy.
Clarkes Ego and Arrogance will not let him look at the main problem of the department, working conditions and doing the deputies jobs. Just the other day a deputy talked with me and the comment that stuck, ” Even those that do their job and do it well and know what they are doing, just show up for work and do what they are supposed to do and nothing more because they may get canned for doing what they do.” Now there is a big problem. The deputies in all bureaus are working under an Administration that takes away everything that a deputy does. There should be a discreation on how you handle your job, that is no more. The dputies that handled the Bosnian women at the airport offered her shelter, a place to go, even checked her story as to the tickets to Kansas, did they fail by not issueing a loiertring citation ? Whatever. The deputies do their job and in Clarkes eyes they are damned if they do and damed if they don’t. It’s up to Clarke and his Command staff to ‘lead’ and they fail on that. As I said the deputy’s letter ws from the heart and thats what 90% of the department believes. If Clarke is a ‘Cops Cop’, like he says, the deputies will be able to do their job as law enforcement officers and would have a leader that takes them into the future with pride. My bet is that Clarke will take the Sheriff’s Dept down to nothing but a jail operation.
Unfortunately the answer whatever it maybe is out there, but it won’t work if it bounces off of death ears and blind eyes. Egos are terrible things, especially in a position like that, if you can’t look at opinions and evaluate them for effectiveness you are not born to lead. No matter if you wear a ten gallon hat, stirrups, or dress as the Easter Bunny. Saying I was wrong can be the hardest thing for an adult, I have known many that would die before doing it.
I live in Wisconsin but work in Illinois, you look at the shooting and wonder what brings a person to that point. It is stuff like this. People that are desperately trying to be heard and are being ignored. People that are different, people that just need a person to here. One of the hardest skills in life is to be a truly effective listener.
So what has now happened. There have been some cops that have been unethical no doubt, messed up (well everybody is human, even cops), how many of us did something stupid on the road and it is either God or pure luck alone you are alive and the people around you are. So than you mix in a few people that have had an experience with a cop that messed up. So now these two sides hate each other and no one trusts anymore, now you mix that in with the thug element, poverity, no jobs, and people think they have justification for doing what they have to to survive. Well you know in your heart that is crap. How I have heard, well we don’t get paid enough we deserve it, than the citizens say I’m just doing what I have to survive. When you are screwing people for money, or ripping them off your little soul kicks off and you know what you are doing wrong and you know it is wrong, we all just ignore that lil voice. You now mix in a leadership that calls people losers ect and makes them feel like a donkies ass and slowly chops away at that lil voice that keeps on trying to tell them what is right, slowly chops away at there self worth, what happens?
Shootings happen, robbery happens, fraud happens, death happens. Wake up people, we get one chance, one chance only here. We are not cartoon characters that pop back up the next day. If we don’t work as a community to help and support verbally and morally that we care for these officers we wont have them sooner not later, if leadership keeps going forward doing the same thing over and over, you might as well bang your head against a wall. If I stab myself with a knive it hurts and I bleed. Guess what, I don’t do that because it doesn’t work. Time to change government, for one reason only. Survival. You don’t want to be the parent that gets the officer on there front door telling them there kid was gunned down. Are children learn from our actions, lets show them we can fix this and have strong communities that stand up to the bad elements.
To All Milwaukee County Sheriffs deputy’s, Thank you for keeping us safe on the highways. Now like the military there is a command structure, that must be in place to prevent chaos. Some times the person on top is not as good as some of the people he leads. In the Military this is a problem you live with, but the Sheriffs position is an elected one. Therefore man-up and run against him. If you feel that is too hard to do, go directly to him and tell him how you think things should be done. If that is not possible for you to do, just be the best Deputy you can be and pray for him.
Most deputies pray for him evey night, along with the majority of his command staff, but somehow they keep waking up and coming to work in the morning. Like the song says, “God must be busy.”
Good letter