January
2008
King David Clarke is at it AGAIN
You may have seen the January 3, 2008, article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in which Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Association president Roy Felber mentioned that had the jail release area’s fingerprint machine been up and running, the recent improper release of Jaron X. Jennings might have been prevented. It makes sense–Jennings switched wristbands with another inmate, in effect assuming his identity, and was released. Had the deputy/ies and corrections officer(s) on duty at the time been able to fingerprint him, it is unlikely they would have released him. The machine has been broken for over a year and neither repaired nor replaced, despite the administration being aware of it. While ultimately it was a human decision that lead to Jennings’ release, had those working in release that day had all the tools they should have had to do their job, they would most likely have made a different decision.
What you probably have not seen is Sheriff “King David” Clarke’s response to this article. It was bad enough that in the article he is quoted as calling those involved “dumb”, in his latest message to the troops, read aloud in roll call the last few days, he calls the deputies “losers” FOUR times. How’s THAT for great leadership technique? I bet he learned that at the seminar he once attended at Harvard. You know, the one where he picked up the Harvard ring he has been seen sporting? It goes so well with his cowboy boots and spurs.
I digress. Back to the letter. It begins, “It has been intimated by a union official,[sic] that a malfunctioning machine was the culprit in a jail inmate being improperly released from custody. You show me someone who believes this, and I’ll show you a loser.” He goes on to say “Losers always find an excuse for why a job didn’t get done correctly.” Now the funniest thing about this statement is that it and the next sentence were said by a man who has spent his time in office blaming previous administrations for the current woes of the department. “I don’t make excuses for failure.” Yeah, right, David. The letter goes on with more of his “pearls of wisdom” and more motivational sentences, such as “What we need less of are losers who want to blame inanimate objects when things go wrong.”
I have spent over 20 years working for some pretty amazing leaders. Some of them have really accomplished great things. They have all taught me a lot about leadership, and I use their teachings daily. One thing I know for sure, a good leader never belittles or ridicules his or her troops. A leader never shirks blame or points fingers. One of my favorite leadership books, “From Good to Great“, by Jim Collins, is considered a “bible” on great leadership by some of the most successful organizations in this country. In “Good to Great”, Collins lays out that a great leader takes none of the credit and all of the blame. This seems to be a polar opposite of King David’s leadership style, which consists of hogging the spotlight when things are looking good, and backing away, hands in a “it wasn’t me” pose when things go bad.
His megalomaniac style is not just seen as he “motivates” the department. It is also seen in his callous disregard for court- or arbitrator-ordered actions. He costs the county money in lawsuits on a regular basis, such as the suit regarding deputies sick time policy, which he has violated, and the recent case involving bringing Christian religious speakers into the department’s mandatory roll call. When will the public realize this man should not be leading this department? What will it take for Milwaukee to wake up and insist on change? We need someone in that office who truly wants to make Milwaukee County a better place to live, not someone who wants his ego stroked on a daily basis. We don’t need Wyatt Earp in boots and spurs leading the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department–the Old West is long gone in these parts. What we need is a leader, someone who cares more for the department than him or herself, someone who cares more for the greatness of the County than their own personal greatness.
Read the letter and weep.
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Oh and MKElover, remember that the deputies have a gag order. And how many inmates are released during the day. And what do inmates do when they are are incarcerated, They hink of things an how to do them i.e. How to slip out of wristbands.
Funny, I don’t see my initial comment. Censorship?
So a deputy/CO is not allowed to admit when they’re wrong? Sounds hard to believe.
How hard is it to put on a friggin wristband such that it’s impossible to slip off? How does the staff at your local waterpark master this fine art better than a trained law enforcement officer????
Righto a person should admit to their misstakes. What cracks me up about this incident. The wristband has been used at the Milwaukee County Jail since 1992, 15 years. Thousands of these have been placed on inmates.
Inmates have a history of planning to do such things. At one point in history the inmates were complaining that the bands were to tight. Of course the command staff lightened to the inmate.
The thing I’m getting at is Clarke is making an issue of a mistake or not. Thousands of wristbands are out there over 15 years. One incident happens and peoples livelyhoods on the line. These deputies or CO’s have familys, and one mistake, if it was a mistake, will get them fired. I don’t know. Seems progressive discipline should take place but won’t. We were not there. Did these officals intentionaly put the wrist band on loose. I don’t think so. And never underestimate the inmate. It’s like the guy slipping out of handcuffs. It’s done. It might be hard to admit that you screwed up when you think you have done the right thing. Remember the wristbands are put on when you are booked in the jail. Check to see how many of those are put on in a day, a week, a year.
Oh and by the way I’m quite sure the wristbands at the Local Waterpark have been slipped off, or when your beering it up at a local festival.
Sometimes you have to think like an inmate, and they are thinking all the time to get over on the cops.
mkelover, your other comment is under the enlarged copy of the letter.
Again, no one denies that there were some mistakes made. But to berate and demean the entire bureau for the actions of a few is not good leadership. It smacks of 3rd grade when the teacher made everyone skip recess because Jimmy was blowing spitballs. Great leaders praise in public and criticize in private. They do not blame the entire organization for the actions of a few.
At least one of the COs involved accepted responsibility for what happened. But considering that everyone who was working in release that day, including people completely uninvolved in the incident, have been fired, you probably won’t be hearing from them.
The detention bureau was also treated to a “motivational” speech by DI Schmidt, who told them that they treat their jobs like they were working at Burger King. Way to instill pride in the troops, don’t you think? What a great method to make people proud to wear the star, however many points it has.
My intent in blogging this is to show the public the lack of leadership we have in the Sheriff’s Department. King David is in love with himself and his image and will not allow any thoughts, actions or words that may be perceived as contrary to him. He spoke at a local high school last year and told the students there that good leaders don’t listen to those below them, because those people are below them and they are the leader. He also said that good leaders get rid of people that don’t agree with them.
A truly great leader, General George S. Patton, once said “If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.” He also firmly believed in listening to the troops and taking their advice when making decisions. King David claims to read a lot of leadership books. I would like to make some recommendations for his library, because obviously what he has been reading is not helping.
Ah I see, I didn’t realize that there were two comment sections…one under the article and one under the picture. My fault.
So what should Clarke have done instead of calling out those few who were directly responsible for letting this inmate free? Should he have said, hey, it’s no big deal, it happens every once and a while, and besides the guy was eventually caught??? Who should be blame instead of those directly involved in setting free this prisoner?
Like I said Clarke is a has been. He has nothing better to do. Is more than likely bored with the job. Yes something should be done to the Correctional Guard that sent Jennings on his way, like maybe a written repremand. The guy has been on the job for 1 month and claims not to have been trained in the release process. The deputy only escorted the inmate to the release area. Humans are prone to mistake, ‘Inate’ objects (The Finger Print Scanner, Retina Scanners) can only help in correcting human error. Of course Clarke, D.I. Schmidtt are so caught up in their balloon juice. What Clarke should have said on T.V. there is an escape and we are doing everything to take of the matter. Of course he can’t stand the deputies so its “They fell for the oldest trick in the book, how dumb can you be.” Thats the guy I want leading me. Plus according to news reports I thought he was looking into why the scanner was not working. Well lets look at other avenues of action to correct this problem in the future. Remember Clarke was called by talk radio ‘The Most Significant African-American Leader in Southeast Wisconsin’ Well its been 6 years and I’m still waiting. A true leader has the confidence of the people he leads. Lets get out from behind the desk or in front of the cameras and see what is going on in your command. And that doesn’t mean snooping around, its getting to know your people, not just putting Yes People in and around you. Watch this guy Flynn at MPD. You’ll see something. Clarke ‘A Fraud On the Community’
Who is a better African American leader in our city? Mike McGee Jr? Lee Holloway? There are very few. If I were a parent of a minority child, I would prefer him/her to look up to someone like Clarke instead of someone like McGee, Holloway, etc. I’d rather have my child grow up to the top law enforcement officer in the county instead of some sleazy politician.
There was significant human error in this situation which led to the release of this inmate. Those who released him should be held responsible, not some inanimate object or someone else who calls them to the mat on their incompetence.
mkelover: Corrective action should have been taken against those directly responsible for what happened. What is unprofessional is chastiziung the rest of the department, ridiculing and belitting all of the deputies for the actions of a few. And for the record, no one is saying the machine was responsible. Had the machine been working, however, the incident may never have happened. This is the point Roy Felber was trying to make as well.
Interestingly enough, the fingerprint machine has miraculously been fixed, after sitting there broken for over a year. Too bad it took a bad release to get it done.
I love your ambition for your child. Maybe he or she can follow in Clarke’s footsteps! It is amazing that King David has managed to be both “the top law enforcement officer in the county” AND a “sleazy politician”!!!
Awwwww…was someone’s feelings hurt as a result of their incompetence??? Considering this was a matter of a prison inmate being set free incorrectly, harsh words should be used. Would it have been ok to use this type of language had the inmate escaped and then murdered someone?
It’s nearly laughable how these Clarke-haters are up in arms about this. All they can see is their focused hatred of Clarke and will twist ANY situation in order to benefit their hatred. It’s also funny how they can call Clarke names (King David, etc) but he’s not allowed to say a single bad word about deputies/COs who don’t do their job well and let inmates trick them and escape.
What’s even sadder is that the inmate’s picture is actually ON the wristband yet they still allowed him to go free!
Ok, now that the bitch slapping is done between the two of you.
A superior calling a fellow coworker or employee or one of your underlings a “loser” would be grounds for dismissal in the normal corporate world. But of course in the government world, everybody jumps into the playpen together and can’t play nice. And yes, it is a lack luster thing to do in front of the “troops” in that position. That does nothing but breed more anger and discontent between both sides, and yet again separates the sides farther apart, so both sides become even more and more in effective in their positions.
Mke et all :
Picture comment & other?? What? Huh? Confused. Where is picture? Cannot find?
Lori
I can only guess that the “directive” that refers to the “Losers” of the sheriff’s department has been removed from this site. Clarke has a gag order on the department. Having this “roll call item” posted here violates that directive. It’s the kings way of keeping “losers” from letting the public know he’s an ass. Don’t be surprised if it shows up elsewhere.
Nothing was removed. Click on the line at the bottom of the post to see the full sized roll call memo. I needed to make a few behind the scene technical changes since it was a half meg large. I don’t censor, nor do I even read half of the comments. What I do is delete abusive comments that I do see or someone has alerted me to. If it is really nasty I remove the person from the system so all of their comment posts are removed.
Lori, fix your email address. I’m getting all your unsendable requests for notifications when this post has a new comment.
It is distriburing that anybody would actually carry enough attitude to use the word loser in a memo. It also shows at how protected people in the county can be and feel. Now in the corporate or public world, both sides would be disciplined. Let’s face it, we are not perfect and human error does occur, with anybody, deputies included. But typically you get a verbal, written, than bye bye you go. Typical three strikes you are out, which should apply to county workers also, they should not be able to hide under the vail of union protection. The incident should be investigated and reviewed, than corrective action taken and the court system should learn from this. This also applies to Sheriff Clarke, my supervisor put this in a memo, or referred to anybody as a loser, he should have a warning and out you go if it happens again. Working in a hostile work environment gets no one anywhere to quickly. Milwaukee is in a state of a big mess as it is. Pretty soon if all the egos, and politics don’t stop, they are going to clean house on you all and start over from scratch. It just deepens the lines of discontent among the public sector on how they feel about officers and deputies and all this bull costs taxpayers money.
Its called Progessive Discipline. Now a mistaken release of an inmate or anything that is just a department infraction should be treated as so. Now lets say your accused of a crime, thats a different matter and should be handled accordingly. Remember a mistake was made without intent. The CO involved is claiming he was not trainned at all in release procedure. And has been on the job for a little over a month. When people are transfered throughout the department they recieve some amount of trainning to whatever bureau they are going to i.e. When you go to the airport you are trainned in FAA stuff and department stuff. You even spend a few days on the freeway system as a ride along to learn those procedures. Even if you were on the freeway and are returning. Trainning School is another thing. You always need refresher courses in law enforcement. (Sidenote: I like the fact that Clarke and his wife left on Friday to see the Dallas Cowboys New York Giant game on Sunday. You know he’s a huge Cowboy fan, I find that entertaining.)
‘Expect the Best, Get the Wurst’ The union did not say that the inadimate object was the culprit. They just stated that it would have helped in curing the release procedure that is in place. Its odd that the Milwaukee Journal reported that the finger print machine from the work release center is now in the jail to assist in releases.
Boy, Sheriff Clarke needs to work on his grammar.
I also wonder why a gag order has to go down on the deputies. You all are county workers and I would think that since the taxpayers pays the salaries of Sheriff Clarke and the County Sheriff Department that the public has the right to know of these things. Otherwise, I would have to wonder what else gets covered up that we are paying for? Freedom of speech Sheriff Clarke, if you really believe your comments are justified and you think you have the right to say this to the deputies, than you should have the fortitude to stand and take the debate over whether you are right or wrong. You are paid for by the public, so we hired you and in all technicality, we are your boss. We the public will decide who gets re-elected. If you believe in what you say, you should be able to stand by it. Not hide behind gag orders. The public sector does not get that privilege, nor should you.
Hey Zach W. Expect the Best, Get the Wurst. Get it. Or should I have used the word Weiner. Or maybe Thuringer.
The voters elect Clarke to run his department the way he sees fit, he is the boss. He cannot go to the voters every time he makes a new decision/directive to get their opinion on it. Gag orders are in place in a lot of professions for various reasons. If you want a Sheriff’s department where any deputy, CO, or staff member can speak freely to the media about every minute detail of how the department is run…then you’d better find a candidate who supports that.
I think it’s funny how a previous poster said that employees should be given “3 strikes”…I suppose then it would be ok to allow 3 inmates to be incorrectly set free since that employee has “3 strikes”…I wonder how the average citizen/voter would feel about allowing an employee of the Sheriff’s Department “3 strikes” when it comes to setting free inmates who should have remained in custody. The citizenry would be irate. Allowing or rewarding incompetence isn’t what should be going on when you’re talking about a law enforcement agency. Mistakes can potentially lead to innocent people being hurt or even killed.
I don’t care what names the Sheriff calls someone who fails at their job and puts the public at risk, what I care about is that inmates who are supposed to be behind bars remain there.
I have a complete understanding for why gag orders exist. Working in the medical field we obviously don’t release diagnostic information to the public in order not to destroy the patient’s world. But if Sheriff Clarke is going to speak freely to the public about how he feels about his deputies, the deputy has the right to speak back. You have the right to face your accuser and defend what had happened, plus if he is going to speak of his discord about the way he feels it should be more respectful. Using the word “dumb” or “loser” would not fly in most industries. It also is unprofessional for a man in his position.
But if he was in the emergency room after a near fatal accident, I’m sure he wouldn’t want the person treating him to be the one he had just called dumb or loser. And if it was, I’m sure he would regret that he treated used the words he did and didn’t speak on a more adult level. Otherwise, there revenge would be giving him a colonoscopy ever hour on the hour.
And in regards to the three strikes rule, I’m using this as an example. Human error exists in all arenas, and lord knows it happens a lot in this one. I don’t feel the person should go unpunished, but it is evident that there are other flaws that have been brought up that might have helped this possibly happen. Some form of punishment will exist, but how common is it that person gets thrown under the bus in order to protect some of the higher up issues and problems that exist. But isn’t that is one reason the union exists, how many mistakes have gone covered up and butts have been saved because of the union, which most of us do not get that protection. We get let go, no hearings, no unions, no being off duty with pay. You get this extra protection, because human error exists.
There should be no rewards for incompetence, but how often do we here of people in the county positions that it is almost virtually impossible to get fired, you just get moved. But if the Sheriff is going to come out and call someone who fails at their job, they do have the right to defend why they did what they did. And than decide if they are incompetent and should be let go. Plus if you are going to put a gag order on the deputies, a memo should not have gone out and the press should have never even known this existed. The gag order should be for the Sheriff as well as the deputies. But this is part of the deal when you become an elected official; you get good with the bad, publicly and privately. You aren’t getting paid to be liked. You’re getting paid to keep the highways as safe as humanly possible. And Milwaukee is struggling with violence, trust of our elected officials. We need to know you are doing what is right for the community, not what is right for career advancement.
MuvOver, Bravo. Sheriff Clarke ‘A Fraud On The Community’
A “right to defend” yourself when someone accuses you of being incompetent? Please show me where this “right” exists. The only “right to defend” that I know of comes from a court of law, not deputies/COs who allow inmates to go free that should be locked up.
And nowhere in that memo does the Sheriff name the specific individuals that allowed for this to happen.
mkelover,
Yes, mkelover, the right to defend your character. When the gag order was clearly not observed on both sides and on the Milwaukee County Office of the Sheriff posts the article on their website and Sheriff Clarke states the following: “that this is the oldest trick in the books yet we have people working here that are still dumb enough to fall for it. However, they won’t be here after I finish my investigation.” This person has a right to counter.
It is called our Constitional Rights, one of the beauties of living in the U.S.A., which soldiers and officers have provided us. And even though this persons name was not released, I’m sure I could poll a dozen deputies and they would know who it is. This person has been tried, in the court of public opinion. Freedom of speech, especially when they are publicly being called dumb and losers.
Plus it is my understanding that this was a person newer to the position. Maybe he wasn’t trained well enough, maybe they are so understaffed that this mistake happened. Again, it is not uncommon that this person made a mistake and will require action taken, but let’s also see the whole picture and make sure that there are not other problems that exist that helped make this occur.
mke lover -
a deputy has already passed that 3 strikes rule…she is STILL on the job. Even got transferred out of the jail after her last improper release. How is that fair to those involved in this case? Those involved with CLEAN records. Go ahead and spin that in favor of the king. you know, like you always do.
How can a person have a right to defend their character when they haven’t even been named? Clarke CLEARLY states that when he completes his investigation and finds out exactly who is responsible, they will be reprimanded severely. I don’t care that some ‘insiders’ already know who is responsible, that’s all heresay among the ranks…the fact is that NO ONE has been named publicly so this is all crying about nothing right now.
Please show me where in the U.S. Constitution it states that people have a “right to defend their character” even though they haven’t been named publicly in any way.
The fact is we could fight this to the death and either of us would agree with each other. Constitionally you have the right of freedom of speech, and frankly that includes defending oneself in my opinion, whether in court or on the street. No he has not printed names, but I’m have a feeling people know who it is. And based on the previous comment it has happened before.
A person who calls people dumb or stupid, is obviously someone who has to be-little others to make themselves fell powerful. You can have all the power in the world, but sometime the power will end and he will move on. And the city will still be here struggling with violence and crime.
How can someone defend thelmselves in public when they haven’t even been named publicly?
I guess it’s a lot easier, and more fun, for people to jump all over Clarke before he even completes this investigation and figures out who was ultimately responsible.
Just like he has jumped all over the person that supposedly hasn’t been accused yet, but calling the person that did it dumb and a loser?
He took the first shot out to his deputies and the public by called the person that did this a loser and dumb on the Milwaukee Sheriff Departments website.
And actually I don’t think it is fun, the discord and state Milwaukee is in is disturbing.
Did he specifically name someone when he called that person “dumb”? How can you jump all over someone if that someone doesn’t even have a name?? Sheesh!
No he did not specifically put a persons name out there, but he implied that whomever did this was dumb and a loser. But I will put a name out there, Mkelover. It is apparently clear that you enjoy the word game piece of all of this and are going to try to ride it like a two bit sleezy lawyer would do to get his client off when they are guilty, you twist and play with the words and avoid the facts. No, he did not use a name, yes, he it is someone in his department that he is responsible for this, yes he has used the word dumb, loser, and printed on the sheriffs website. Yes, it was a horrible mistake, yes it should be investigated. Yes possible corrective action should be taken, assuming the people that are investigating are truly going to give the other side a careful review and not just be yes man to sheriff clarke.
Good glory, if this is the way deputies get treated, no wonder good cops go bad. They get fed up with all the political bull crud and games that go on to distract the person from what is really going on around them. As I said before, I don’t necessarily agree with unions, since it can be a cloak to hide behind, but with milwaukee, slap that cloak on you might need it.
And next time someone calls you dumb or a loser or a family member of yours that. Remember suck it up and say yes sir, Sheriff Clarke, sir.
I can’t help but wonder which member of King David’s inner “Circle of Trust” has chosen to use the name “mkelover” as he valiantly defends his beloved king’s honor.
The gist of the argument in the original posting of the King’s latest missive had nothing to do with the names and identities of those individuals responsible for the bad release or what punishment is appropriate or inappropriate for them. Mkelover has done a great job of obscuring that fact and drawing attention away from the real issue.
If you talk to any deputy or C.O., I think you would be hard-pressed to find one who didn’t agree that the officers involved in the bad release probably screwed up. However I also doubt that you would find one who didn’t agree with Roy Felber’s assertion that the absence of a functioning Sagem Morpho-Touch fingerprint ID scanner contributed to the problem. Simply stated, without a fingerprint ID confirmation, the only way a release officer can confirm a release’s ID is through his wristband and the personal information gathered at the time he was booked. If the inmate has swapped wristbands and memorized another inmate’s personal data, the only remaining barrier between the inmate and the street is a visual comparison of his appearance with his booking photo. As anyone who has worked in the jail can tell you, most inmates don’t look a lot like their booking photos, even after only a day or two in custody. They shave or grow beards, they braid or unbraid their hair, they wash their hair or apply pomade. If in custody long enough, they get haircuts. They change their appearance in a myriad of ways. The simple fact is, two young black males of approximately the same age, height, build and skintone could easily be mistaken for one another. Ask any police officer who goes to Jail Classification to examine booking photos and pick out 6-8 similar subjects for a line-up.
Swapping wristbands was also facilitated by inattention by the Jail Administration. Over 18 months ago they were notified in writing by a deputy that the plastic wristband fasteners the jail switched to several years ago could be removed and altered by inmates, allowing them to remove and replace the wristband at will in a virtually undetectable manner. The information was read as a roll call item, but no action was taken. Since the bad release, Inspector Schmidt has ordered the Jail to go back to using the old style crimped metal fasteners. Will wonders never cease!
Simply put, the release officers acted in good faith, based on the information available to them and their level of experience. Had the Morpho-Touch ID been functioning, it would have been one more safety net, but the administration allowed it to remain broken for over a year. Even when it was working, inmates who had never been assigned a state id number and came back as a “no-match” were still released any way. If the Morpho-Touch machine was not a factor, as King David has pronounced, then why was it not only replaced within a week, but a second machine added to the release area as well? Will wonders still never cease!
The reason for the original post of King Dave’s missive was to demonstrate the complete lack of regard he has for his employees and the utter contempt and disrespect that he treats them with. Dave likes to speak of his admiration for military leaders and recently reminded us that law enforcement is a para-military organization. In the military, if your unit is operating in a war zone, and you take hostile fire from an inhabited area, such as a town or village, you use fire & manuever, focussed indirect fire or close air support to surgically remove the hostiles and eliminate the threat. You don’t call in the B-52s, carpet bomb the village and slaughter every man, woman and child, regardless of their combatant staus.
King Dave often expresses his admiration for military leaders. I find it interesting that his style of dealing with adversity and opposition so closely resembles that of another famous, or should I say infamous military leader. On March 16, 1968, 2LT. William “Rusty” Calley was leading 1st Platoon, Charlie Co., 1/20th Infantry near the hamlets of My Lai and My Khe, Republic of South Vietnam, when they slaughtered 350+ civilian men, women and children because they believed them to be V.C. sympathizers. On an interesting historical note, six months later, when reports of the massacre began to come to light, another of Dave’s personal heroes, a 31-year-old Major named Colin Powell was assigned to investigate the reports. Powell’s handling of the matter was later characterized by many observers as a “whitewashing” of the atrocities.
When King Dave referred to every single deputy and C.O. as a loser four times in his letter, he was essentially pulling a Rusty Calley, and attacking the entire department, because of a perceived slight on him The great majority of deputies and C.O.s on the department are hard-working, dedicated, dilligent individuals doing a thankless job under increasingly difficult circumstances. Yes, there are some people who aren’t as diligent or efficient as they should be, but you’ll find that in any organization of 600+ personnel. If you have a problem with an individual, then deal with that individual individually. You don’t motivate people by treating them as though they were something to scrape off the bottom of your nifty be-spurred cock-roach kickin’ cowboy boots. You don’t send in your bobble-head yes-man Inspector Schmidt to figuratively carpet bomb the roll calls and insult, belittle and degrade everyone over the errors of the few.
To conclude, most members of the MCSD perform their duties with great diligence, dedication and devotion to duty. They try very hard to stay above the petty political B.S. and render the services they have sworn to provide. however, as another blogger has previously stated on this site, if you kick a dog often enough, don’t act surprised when it turns and bites!
Well yes, whoever allowed this prisoner to go free is dumb. I too have done dumb things in my life and been told they were dumb, fortunately none of them put innocent taxpayers at risk.
You said you were going to name a name but you failed to do so MuvOver, so what gives?
I think it’s quite humorous that you seem to care more about the feelings of a deputy instead of the fact that he/she allowed an inmate to go free who should have been locked up away from society.
Innocent taxpayers? Big deal, the guy was in for obstructing an officer. If you feel bad for the taxpayers get an open records request for this guys expenditures. Then see who is DUMB! The voters whom put this zeolot in office. Innocent Taxpayers, HA!
You get what you pay for. You pay low, non competitive wages, what are the new hires? Brain Surgeons?
Innocent taxpayers. Get a grip
Same old song & dance, mkelover, same old song & dance. Ignore the real issue and try to obscure it with a B.S. smokescreen. Why don’t you just change your name to “clarkelover” and admit to those latent, repressed feelings? I’m sure you’ll find the experience incredibly liberating and ultimately psychologically healthier. By the way, who signs your paychecks?
The truly sad thing about the horendous adversarial relationship that exists between King David and his department is that it is all his doing. He drew first blood, and has refused to stand down ever since.
When Clarke was handed the job by Scott McCallum, the majority of the department was ready to welcome a change. A fresh face, new blood and a new viewpoint were welcome to most after years of “business as usual” and nepotism. Many deputies remember being very excited and hopeful the first time he spoke at rollcall. He promised to do away with nepotism & favoritism, to empower deputies and make them less reliant on supervisors, to promote fairly, according to promotion list rankings, etc. etc.
Within weeks he had backed away from all his promises, instituted his own version of nepotism, created a temporary promotion system that allowed him to by-pass county rules and promote those who “share his vision” (something that 5 years later is still undefined for the rank & file), and advised union officials that he reserved the right to “change his mind” (or lie) to us.
The final straw came when there was a prisoner escape from a transport van outside a state prison, during which a deputy was seriously injured. Before he had any details, before any investigation, in fact, before the transport officers had even made it back to Milwaukee, there was media darlin’ Cowboy Dave in front of the T.V. cameras, waving transport chains and stating that if an inmate had escaped, he must have had a cuff key, and if he had a cuff key, it must have come from someone in the jail! He essentially besmirched the reputation of everyone in the jail. It turned out no cuff key was involved! This tactic of blaming deputies or previous administrations for every single problem was what contributed more than anything to the overwhelming “no-confidence” vote he received from the union membership in the days prior to the election.
Since that day Clarke has held a grudge against the department rank & file and has never missed an opportunity to harass or threaten them through ridiculous orders, policies and directives and punishments, many of which contradict each other. He has referred to his subordinates as “headless nails”, stated they are no better than the insurgents in Iraq, and most recently referred to them as losers 4 times in a 1 page missive. His inspector told them that they treat their jobs as though they work at Burger King. This is the kind of brilliant inspiration that comes from a man who claims to be a “student of leadership” and to have a “penchant for leadership”? The simple fact is, you learn to lead by leading, not by reading. King David has obviously done too little of the former and too much of the latter, even if none of it sunk in.
In the business world, Clarke’s style of leadership is known as “Seagull Management”. You never see a superior until something goes wrong. Then they fly in, crap all over everyone and everything, do a lot of screeching, and then fly off again without offering any reasonable or thoughtful solutions.
FedUp, You seem to have a grasp of the whole big picture. Study the Military Manuals (USAF, Army, Marines) they all say the same about leadership. And you are correct in what makes a good leader. Remember a manager does not make a good leader. Managers are needed to get an organization through everything that the organization does, but the leaders make it go and have to have the confidence of the troops (followers) to make it happen. How do you get that confidence ? You are absolutely correct. King Dave is against those that he is to lead. And when you get that, well the organization stalls and goes no where. King Dave rode into the department on the appointment of Governor McCallum. He promised to take on crime in Milwaukee County, Empower his department in getting the job done, and become (According to talk radio) The Leader Southeast Wisconsin is looking for. Well what happened? He critized all the leaders for talking and not taking action. Well where is he? He started a GRIP unit to eradicate guns from the street. Where is he? He claimed that the community was shouting out for him to be there savior and keep those other leaders in line. Well? He ran for mayor once, and almost screwed that up. He couldn’t even beat Marvelous Marvin Pratt. GRIP? The community needs him? B.S. Clarke relies on 240,000 democrat only votes to keep him in office (He won to Bobbit in the primary by 1300 votes). He has nothing better to do than run the department into the ground. He’s a has been, A phony, and a ‘Fraud On The Community’ And finally every sheriff before him looked forgrowth in the department. A cops cop my ass.
The following is not intended to advocate violence, as the practice mentioned was a deplorable blot on the U.S. military, but is simply mentioned as a matter of historical fact, to prove a point.
During the Vietnam conflict American troops developed a technique for dealing with the type of ignorant, dangerous, ambitious or unstable officers whose self-serving, career-enhancing “leadership” was about making themselves look good at the expense of the health, welfare and even lives of their men . It was known as “fragging”, after the standard fragmentation hand grenade. It involved the surgical removal of said officer by friendly fire, either during a firefight, or sometimes by simply rolling a grenade under a latrine while the target was taking his morning constitutional. Such incidents were often reported as enemy mortar fire. Extremely accurate enemy mortar fire.
I would imagine Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. is quite familiar with the term, as he has developed a “bunker” mentality. He hunkers down in his fancy office, redecorated at taxpayer expense, and never ventures out among the troops. Even those officers who are summoned to an audience with him are required to lock their sidearm in a gunlocker outside his office before being admitted to the inner sanctum. He is afraid of his own department! What does this tell you about his inspirational leadership style? What does this tell you about his efforts to enhance morale and esprit de corps within the department? The man knows he is a miserable failure who is despised by the rank and file, just as he despises them. If he had one ounce of dignity or moral courage, he would step down from office and allow the public to choose a true leader for the department, while there still is a department to lead. As it is now, he simply remains in office to take his petty revenge on the department for his own failings as a man and as a leader.
One thing I found out about King Dave is that he was very good while on the ’script’. What do I mean. When ever he was on the T.V. or radio he seemed very good in his speeches and press releases. Look how well he did with the Deputy Schuh incident. At other times, as in the jail escape he looked not as polished. Look into his use of the words ‘dumb’ and ‘losers’. Boy I sure hope the writters can reach a contract (joke).
By the way he was in Dallas over the weekend at the Cowboy - Giant game. I saw a ad for the NFL which had the line “When your a loser you can do nothing but watch from the side lines” Well Dave?
I have never, in all my years, encountered the amount of whining crybabies as I have in this blog frequented by unhappy employees of the Milw County Sheriff’s Office. It is simply astounding.
If I complained this much about my boss on a daily basis (publicly and otherwise), I wouldn’t be an employee for much longer!
Oh and what would have happened had this inmate escaped and committed a murder or something equally egregious? It happened in 2007 so it’s not impossible. I love how you say “it’s no big deal” since the guy wasn’t in there for a serious crime. WOW.
And I have never, in all my life, encountered as big an butt-kissing, (cowboy)boot-licking, ignorant apologist for a man whom you know absolutely nothing about, as you, mkelover. Unless, in fact, you do know a great deal about him, because you are part of his inner “Circle of Trust”. Otherwise, why do you spend as much time as you do on this blog, defending your beloved King David Clarke? Why don’t you outline for the rest of us what makes him such a great guy? Come on, covince me! Tell me about all of Clarke’s magnificent accomplishments over the past 5 years! Tell me about how all his grand plans to clean up the streets of Milwaukee have come to fruition! Tell me how reducing the Sheriff’s Dept. from over 600 sworn law enforcement officers, to approximately 450 sworn officers, benefits Milwaukee County in a post 9/11 world, when most law enforcement agencies are growing! Tell me about this magnificent leadership role he has assumed in the community. Tell me what a great role-model he is! Tell me something other than your same old, same old unsupported nonsense! Let’s see some facts & figures! Let’s see some testimonials from other community leaders, white or black! Let’s see you stop talking out your rear! Enough with the smoke & mirrors, you’re not defending O.J. Simpson. Let’s have some cold, hard data. “Just the facts, ma’am.” as Sgt. Joe Friday might have said. We’re waiting…
mkelover: Since I don’t work for the County I would love to comment on your last comment.
I wouldn’t considered these people that I have experienced on this board as you call “crybabies”, (by the way, losers, dumb, crybabies, your lack of professional wording makes me wonder how you could pass a county test to even get in a county position, and if you truly are attached to Clarke by an umbilical cord, you might want to work on your PR language, especially if you are representing him and speaking on his behalf). These people are the result of being under Clarke’s leadership. This is the result you have, after your leader refers to you and the rest of the deputies with no respect and speaks to them on a level of a high school teenager. These people that are fed up with weak, politician sucking leadership, gag orders and people that don’t give a crap about the community nor the people in it and a department that is truly fragmented by lack of a great lead. These are people that need to be able to do there job without every second of the day being worried Clarke is going to take them down, or if they spit wrong they are going to get sued. Pretty soon, nobody want to be a cop, because you will make it impossible for them to succeed. I pray to God that you don’t work for the Sheriffs department, because your lack of respect for what they do and the risks they take everyday is disgusting. But yet, they still will come if you ever have to call 9-1-1 and risk there being to help you. And I sure as hell hope you have nothing to do with managing them in any way shape or form. Because again, your lack of disrespect for them is very evident and you should not be in a position where you wouldn’t be doing your job at 100% perfection.
And in my world, the real outside world, where there is no protection with unions or otherwise, and you are completely on your own. He would have been fired for that memo; he would have been fired for using the language publicly, and referring to any of the deputies that way. But behold, he too is protected.
Sheriff Clarke is a big boy and can come on this website and defend himself. There appears to be no gag orders with him.
And yes, there always could have been a potential for something happening. Thank God it didn’t. I can only wonder how many errors at work you have committed, and possibly you yourself don’t even realize the repercussions some of those errors have had. Human error exists and responsibility will be laid down, but Sheriff Clarke is ultimately responsible for his deputies, so he can ante up to the bar for a little shot of humbleness himself.
So after you tuck Clarke into bed tonight and spread down your little matt next to his bed and lie your head down to sleep, wonder, who wins in this whole situation. No one. And I really hope that they are looking into what went wrong, not just the person that was involved. What happened to help this occur that the county could have done to make it not happen. I would have more respect for them to say a mistake was made, we will figure out ALL the reasons for it happening, and discipline will occur, and changes will be made to make it less easy for it to happen.
slander
A type of defamation. Slander is an untruthful oral (spoken) statement about a person that harms the person’s reputation or standing in the community. Because slander is a tort (a civil wrong), the injured person can bring a lawsuit against the person who made the false statement.
Libel
a written or oral defamatory statement or representation that conveys an unjustly unfavorable impression b (1): a statement or representation published without just cause and tending to expose another to public contempt (2): defamation of a person by written or representational means
ALL PROTECTED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION AND STATE LAW - YOU, MKELOVER, DON’T KNOW THE NAMES BUT WE DO.
Here we go again, King Dave is in a posistion with opportunity to do some good for the community. Lets work hard at correcting the problems with the system that he speaks of. Or maybe we should go to Dallas-Giant games. Lets step up in this community and take care of things instead of the continual serving of balloon juice. A FRAUD ON THE COMMUNITY.
How is it possible to slander or libel someone who does not have a name??? The answer is that it’s IMPOSSIBLE. I don’t care that in your knitting circles people know who he’s talking about, the problem is that he has never uttered their names publicly! It would never hold up in a court of law, any judge (except Lynn Adelman) would laugh it out of his/her courtroom!
My God people, grow up and act like adults.
You antics borderline on obsessive-compulsive disorder. Your out and out hatred of Clarke is preventing you from thinking rationally.
I do not know Clarke personally, nor do I work for the county, but I have lived in Milwaukee all of my life so I have been able to follow his career as well as many Milwaukee elected officials.
I believe what riles all of you is that he is a black man and that he is a conservative. Although you hide it well, your words are full of racial undertones. You just can’t handle a black man in a position of power can you? Maybe this is why Art Jones was hated so much.
The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office does NOT patrol city of Milwaukee streets…that is not their primary jurisdiction, that is the coverage area of MPD. Has our county freeway system turn into the Indianapolis Speedway? Do you honestly fear for your life when you’re driving on county freeways? Do you fear going golfing at your local county park? Do you fear that Mitchell Int’l Airport is going to blow up??
The fact is that Clarke has been able to do the job of 600 deputies but only using 450, or whatever the exact numbers are, saving the taxpayers money. He’s done his job to live within his budget every year while maintaining safe roads, parks, and airport. Why can’t other county departments live within their budgets??
I have several friends who teach in MPS and other schools in the county…Clarke has been to nearly every one of their homerooms to speak to their students or speak to their entire student body. What other recognizable, respected black official in this county has done this or is willing to do this on a regular basis? Regardless of how you feel about the minutiae of how he runs his department, he is an example to every minority family in the area. Parents would be LUCKY to have their son/daughter grow up to achieve the things he has (high school, college, job promotions, etc).
And let’s say we’re in the “real world” outside the protection of unions, etc…Clarke could have written that memo and never have been fired since he’s the CEO! In the real world Clarke is the CEO of his company so he can put out whatever memo he wants. Your sophomoric take on the business world is humorous.
Why on Earth would Clarke come on this bloviating blog site to defend himself? What a waste of time! Based on what I have seen/heard of him, he wouldn’t stoop to this level.
In case you didn’t notice, Clarke was the one behind the microphone and in front of the TV cameras when the inmate escaped…it wasn’t the deputies/COs who were duped..it was Clarke taking the questions from the media. He promised that those directly responsible (didn’t name names) would be punished accordingly and that they would do everything they could to find the escapee (which they ultimately did). Clarke too the heat from the media spotlight, not those who allowed the prisoner escape.
Well Mkegoof,
That has got to be the most Idiotic spout of rhetoric I have heard on this site to date. Because He’s BLACK?
My good GOD! I suggest you go read some leadership books. Till then stick your head up your dark hole and see what type of life you really have. He’s Black….HAHAHAHAAHAHAHA
MkeLover, Nobody here has played the card yet. But it seems your baiting to have it drawn. I’m quite sure that other county and city officals have visited school and other organizations. Yes I would have my child look up to Clarke other than a McGee or Holloway. Also to a Willie Hines, That Guy thats the Health Commisioner, and others. But at least these guys when asked to do something for the community do something. With Milwaukee heading down the wrong path, and Clarke in his election speeches promising to do something about it. Well where is he? The other leaders, black or white, want nothing to do with him. Per state statue he is the top law enforcement in the county. The problem is Clarke has done nothing to work with the rest of the community to help. Finally the department will continue to keep the place safe and do their best to do it, with or without Clarke. Baldwin did it, Kliesmet did it, Artison did it, etc. etc. Its the people that make the department work and as soon as Clarke realizes that and works with them (Not deminish them) it will be even better. Oh, if you want to draw the card go ahead.
Then why didn’t Nan Heggerty (sp?) take the heat that Clarke does on this blog when crime and murder increased in Milwaukee??? Where was the call for her resignation? I hear it almost daily on here for Clarke.
No doubt that Clarke is the top law enforment officer in the County, but the MPD chief reigns over the city streets, not Clarke. Nice try though.
Clarke manages a department, he doesn’t write laws or vote on them…he enforces them.
Milwaukee does not have a great history when it comes to racial tolerance…when was the last time a prominent black official was elected to a city-wide or county-wide position by a predominantly white constituency? Marvin Pratt? He was never elected, he was Mayor by default when Norquist left. Clarke is probably the highest ranking black elected official…and there are some who just can’t stand that. They’d rather return to the overweight white guy in charge (read: Bobot).
And don’t bring up Gwen Moore, don’t even get me started on Gwen and her milquetoast representation of her district. The only reason she won was because the 2 white males in the primary (Flynn & Carpenter) split their vote giving Gwen a rather easy victory thanks to thousands of dollars from Emily’s List.
Black? oh please. I wouldn’t care if he was purple. I have experienced more bigetry in one day than he has in his whole life.
But thank god you don’t work for the county, that is a relieve. No need for more yes men.
The reason you hear more about Clarke is because he is on the news that is why. He criticizes everybody and his own team, except for himself. He makes it known for what everybody else has done wrong, well again, he is not anywhere near perfect either. He speaks as he is ruler of Milwaukee and that we are are little lemmings that can’t wake up and brush are teeth in the morning.
He can have some validity in some areas, but what really counts is who he is when the cameras are off and the run to climb farther up that political ladder gets set aside.
He has referred to people as dumb, losers ect. What kind of respect do you think he is going to get. On his website it shows Clarkes the man in the arena. Maybe Clarke should evaluate himself alittle better and I’m sure we will find things he has mucked up. Remember human error, even though he forgets his men are human.
So then lets look at G.R.I.P. Set up by the District Attorney, with the sheriff to administrate it. Eradicate Guns from the City Streets. 22 Sheriffs Deputie put on the streets of Milwaukee. They did there jobs. Clarke on the other hand put them on Lake Front Patrol. Yes MPD has jurisdiction within the City of Milwaukee. The shriffs dept also has jurisdiction (I do believe the squad said Sheriff the other night I saw stopping a car on 22nd and North) in the city and 18 other municipalites within the county. Did you know that the sheriff is a state officer and can act within the state of Wisconsin if a crime is being committed ? You have been challenged before to list what Clarke has done to HELP with crime problems. List em. If Clarke was passionate about these problems he would be the leader that you claim he his and work a cooperation of the other agencies and get the job done. But all he does is critize the leaders of the county (black and white)and does not cooperate. I recall an election gathering to quote Clarke “All everybody does is talk about the problems, I will come up with a plan and take action. I’m a doer” Well as I said were still waiting. This guy has had every opportunity to come on strong and just a lot of balloon juice was produced. If he was the guy he would have now been the city’s mayor. Boy if that would have happened this place would really have been in the sewer. I guess we’ll never know. You know, now that I think of it, whatever happened to Deputy Schuh gathering data to help with the problems? Read it David A. Clarke A FRAUD ON THE COMMUNITY.
You’re still blowin’ smoke, clarkelvr, only now it is tinged with the sour stench of black on white racism! Is your ardent support of King Dave based, perhaps, solely on the color of his skin? Notice your last post: “two white guys”, “the overweight white guy”. Now the truth comes out! Racism runs both ways, and it is deplorable, whatever the color of your skin. During my life I have worked for Whites, Blacks, Hispanics and Asians in a wide variety of positions. I have also supervised subordinates with an incredibly diverse racial and social makeup. I judge people on who they are and what they do and say, not what their skin color, where they come from, who they sleep with or what god or gods they choose to worship or not worship. King David has shown his true colors. This is why I, and the great majority of his subordinates, despise him.
The burden of proof is NOT on me…you Clarke haters need to show me how life has become more dangerous in the areas that Clarke has been directly responsible for (freeways, parks, airports). Be careful to remember where MPD has primary jurisdiction over deputies. I don’t care about the internal squabbles of who likes him and who doesn’t like him…that’s normal business, not every boss is loved and respected. Clarke is responsible to the voters and he is charged with keeping them safe where he is responsible which is why he took this prisoner escape so very seriously.
All I’m saying about Gwen Moore vs. Flynn/Carpenter was that the primary vote was split right along racial lines which eliminated both Flynn and Carpenter, that’s all.
And as a caucasian I am allowed to point out the color of someone’s skin the same as mine to make a point about subtle racism. Do not try and cover up what a racial problem Milwaukee has, it’s here, and it’s been here for a long while. Most Milwaukeeans are comfortable with people similar to them in positions of power (Mayor, County Executive, etc). Personally I think it’s wrong and could care less what a person looks like who is representing me as long as they’re doing it competently.
The burden of proof is on you! You are the one defending this narcissistic sociopath. You tell me what you think he has done that is so great. The fact is, you can’t. You are as clueless and uninformed as the rest of the sheeplike masses who voted this monomaniacal misfit into office in the first place. Give you a snazzy uniform and a catchy soundbite and you wax orgasmic over the guy! Don’t just take the word of Clarke’s own department, talk to any MPD officer who is familiar with his carefully whitewashed history at MPD, drinking, shirking duty, domestic violence incidents, etc., etc. One of Clarke’s first acts as Sheriff was to block deputies from having access to the STAR system, which historically archives MCSD reports. This is because their were a number of embarassing incidents that he figured predominantly in, and deputies were reading these reports. The guy is a thug with a badge.
MkeLover, Get with it. Learn about government. Study the statues to see what a sheriff does. And learn what voters really do in Milw Co. Its not to hard to figure out that a Democrat is more likely to win in Milwaukee County than a Republican. Unfortunately Milwaukee voters will pull the Democrat Party side when they go into the booth. Crap I’d run as a democrat just to get those votes (Sort of like Clarke did) John Chisholm won the same way. Don Holt lost the sheriffs race because Milwaukee is not a republican stronghold. Remember that in the Democratic primary Bobot lost by 1300 votes to Clarke with only 64,000 votes cast. Clarke won the general election with 240,000 democrat only votes. As did Chisholm. Holt had 80,000 votes. The same as Ken Bohn. Infact the outcome was close to the same when Mariellen Kostopolus (Rep) ran against Baldwin (Dem). The same totals that Baldwin had against Kliesmet (Republican). So Clarke may be answerable to the voters, but was elected by people who just pull a simple lever or put one line on the ballot. Clarke was brilliant in running as a democrat. Sort of like Hitler did in Germany. Thats how it done in Milw Co. By the way I always thought it was stupid for a Law Enforcement office to be a partisan race when County Exec and Mayor are non-partisan. Know your politics. And like I said before it would be nice to see any of these politician (Clarke included) to get passionate with the cities and countys problems. But it just doesn’t happen. I guess you could really care less and go on thinking that Clarke is all that and more. But he’s nothing but part of the problem.
Let’s talk for a minute about Clarke’s party affiliation. The Young Conservatives of America at one of the local high schools invited him to speak to them before the last election. In addition to his amazing leadership ideas, such as eliminating those subordinates who do not agree with you, he talked about his beliefs as a conservatives. Yet when a student asked how he was running in the election, he hemmed and hawed, then responded, “Independent Democrat.” Huh?????
Bottom line here is he ran as was expedient to win in Milwaukee County. Everyone knows Milwaukee County voters will not elect a Republican to county office, namely because so many union voters are schooled to vote along party lines. So Clarke, despite being named sheriff by a Republican, despite publicly discussing what being a Republican means to him, in order to win, ran as a Democrat.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a Republican; there are quite a few out there that I know and like. But unfortunately Milwaukee County voters were too myopic to see that a leopard does not change its spots, no matter what it calls itself.
Really? Milwaukee County won’t elect a Republican/conservative? How about Scott Walker?????? Oh whoops, forgot about him didn’t you?? Scott Walker is going to win yet again in April against a tried-and-true democrat in Screamin’ Lena Taylor.
And you’re wrong again, Clarke beat Bobot by 3,695 votes in the county. Do your research.
So let’s see, Clarke is a “thug in a badge” and comparable to “Hitler”…sorry, there’s no convincing you Union Lemmings, your hatred is permanent.
Don Holt lost his bid to be Sheriff because he ran a horrible campaign and had zero dollars to do it. His campaign was a lark and listening to him speak was almost painful. That’s why he lost.
And there’s also nothing wrong with being an independent democrat, much like Joe Lieberman. It just riles the democrat party that Clarke attends events for BOTH Republicans and democrats. If Clarke is sooo Republican, then why does he attend the Democrats of Milwaukee County meetings? I’ve seen him there several times.
There is one thing I agree with you 100% on…the position of Sheriff should be non-partisan and Mayor/County Executive should be partisan. It doesn’t make much sense the way it is now.
mkelover, if Clarke is sooo much a Democrat, why does he pander to the right wing talking heads in Milwaukee? If he’s sooo much a Democrat, why does he write articles for the Wisconsin Conservative Digest? If David Clarke is sooo much a Democrat, why did he endorse Tim Michels for the U.S. Senate?
Listen, there’s a lot of reasons why I don’t like David Clarke, chief among those the fact that he hasn’t done a good job as Sheriff. However, I also find it hard to respect or like an individual who can’t even be honest about his political affiliation simply because he wants to make it easier to get elected. After all, I don’t buy into the notion that David Clarke’s a Democrat because Milwaukee County only elects Democrats, because we’ve seen that not to be true with Scott Walker, but I do know David Clarke professing to be a Democrat sure makes it easier for him to win.
If Clarke is such a Republican, then why is he on inner city, black (read: left wing) talk radio on a regular basis? Why does Clarke attend County Democrat Party meetings but not Republican? Clarke is a conservative democrat, and there’s a lot of them out there. I recall him saying that his family were Kennedy Democrats back in the day and Reagan Democrats in the 80s. So his position as conservative/independent democrat is not all that surprising or rare.
And besides, why should his political affiliation matter in the position of County Sheriff? I think most of us agree that the position should be non-partisan since he doesn’t vote on any laws or create them…he only enforces what is handed down by Republicans and Democrats. If Sheriff is partisan, then why isn’t chief of police? (rhetorical question)
Why did Clarke endorse Michels in 2004? My guess is that since Feingold is an extreme liberal with one of the most liberal voting records in the Senate that he simply didn’t agree with his extremist stances. Heck, I voted for Kohl (Darrow was not the brightest bulb) but not Feingold.
Last word!
Last Word. Clarke had every opportunity to be a strong leader in the area. He has failed. He has aleinated everyone that counts and could have brought something to the table. His arrogance, ego, and Cowboy additude has attributed to this factor. Clarke is a has been and is politically dead. He has done nothing to assist this community. As to the sheriffs department. He has done nothing to enhance the department and make it a strong law enforcement branch in Milwaukee County (That was his platform as a candidate). All the firings and suspensions aside (Oh by the way One CO has gotten their job back the others is pending and the deputy is suspended with pay pending a July hearing in the escape matter) he has not enhanced his department, atributed to his arrogance, ego, and cowboy additude. Sheriff Clarke is costing the tax payers by loosing law suits and will continue to do so. Taxpayers I guess don’t care. Sort of like Art Jones who had the saame problem. Clarke is a phony and a FRAUD TO THE COMMUNITY. He has saved the county money by not keeping up the dpartment up with personel. No one hired in 5 years except CO’s, and they are hard to onto. He has cut programs within the department that have been benefical to the community, of course he says that the community dictates him into cutting these programs, which is only in his mind. The community doesn’t respond. The list is long. Until the community wises up to his schtik the sheriffs department will continue down the sewer. Also if he doesn’t get passionate about crime problems within the community he will rmain nothing but a blowhard. A FRAUD ON THE COMMUNITY.
Dave Clarke doesn’t uphold the laws, he MAKES UP his own. He had repeatedly refused to follow court orders. He make up rules for his department as he sees fit. He consistantly makes a snap judgement and expects investigators to make their investigation fit his conclusion. Starting with Peter Misko who had the audacity to run against him, and ending with any other deputy who raises any question, he has shown how petty and vindictive he is. There is a long list of cases filed by the union against him, and an equally long list of cases he has lost. BUT REFUSES to act as ordered.
He is not a law unto himself no matter what he acts like.
Full kudos to the deputies who stand up and speak the truth!!!
I agree, bravo to the deputies that have the courage to step up to him and are willing to take the risk with him.
Good Post concerned
Wow, it’s amazing how all you girls get caught up in the details when one thing is the issue: the city of Milwaukee is headed for a big fall unless crime is addressed — and it’s pulling the entire county down with it!!
I’m sick and tired of listenting to the bleeding hearts who whine about tough-minded politicians or law enforcement officials. If it weren’t for rational thinking people like Clark and Walker, Milwaukee County would really be sucking wind. Yeah, you lose services when the budget is out of whack — unless you want to raise, and raise, and raise taxes. Oh wait, if you’re a Dem, that’s how you do things. And, of course, find ways to tax the rich and business because they are the bad guys.
For you whiners who think “King David” (by the way, very clever and original) is so wrong for the county, who is better? Who would be a better choice? Speaking of sleazy, to the mentally-challenged individual who referred to Clark as “sleazy,” that must make someone like Lee Halloway and Michael McGee positively Satan-like!
Let’s keep treating gang members with kid gloves, and they will continue to rule the streets. The good citizens living in the inner city are fearful for their lives, so they can’t “snitch” as Jr. McGoo, or is is it Jr. Jerkson calls it? Hard to keep so many aliases straight, ya know?
And, where the heck are the supposed “leaders” of the African-American community? Talk about blaming everyone else for your problems! And, how funny is this, when you have Milwaukee County Exec. wannabe Lena Taylor (who’s about as qualified as a doorknob) voting to play softball with serious juvenile offenders?! Lena Taylor is a fraud and soft on crime!! Even the dumbest and most uninformed voters in Milwaukee County couldn’t be so stupid as to waste a vote on her!!
Perhaps Diamond Jimbob Doyle should consider 3-4 more state prisons to deal with the crap out there…instead of posing for holy pictures with meaningless programs that do nothing but hide the truth. In about 10 years, when the last corporate HQ has left the state, I’m sure Doyle and his cronies will find someone else to blame. After all, it’s what they do.
Who ever accused Clarke of being “rational thinking”? His staff measures his mood by what he is wearing that day. FYI if he is wearing he’s spurs, he’s in a good mood. If he is wearing his suspenders, watch out.