Sheriff Clarke and His Amazing Ego

Sheriff David A. Clarke, one of the head cops in Milwaukee, has entered a war of wills with the judiciary in Milwaukee County.

It is a sad day when someone's ego takes over what should be expected behaviors from a top law enforcement officer.  Sheriff Clarke needs to let some of the air out of his super-inflated head.

First of all, going to war with the Judicial System is not a good idea.  Ever.  Law Enforcement and the Judiciary are supposed to work together to rid the streets of hardened criminals.  Not so in Milwaukee County right now.  Sheriff Clarke seems determined to obstruct justice by imposing restrictive procedures on delivering a prisoner to a courtroom, tactics that impede the justice system and waste time.  If he was doing this out of any kind of real security risk, it would be one thing.  But the particular prisoner in this story has never been a problem in court appearances.  Sheriff Clarke is playing this "I'm Bigger Than You" game because he does not like the particular judge presiding over the case, or the orders that the Judge has imposed in this case.  A war of wills, if you will, which never ends happily.

You would think that a law enforcement officer would know better than to disrespect the judiciary.  Not so, David Clarke.  Sheriff Clarke seems to be suffering massive ego bruising, and he's going public with a formal complaint against the Judge and continuing to impede the judicial process.

Is this who we want in a position of power?  The position of power seems to have gone straight to Sheriff Clarke's ability to understand his role, clouding his judgement.  That is not what the citizenry of Milwaukee County needs or wants.  We want intelligent leaders who work well together.  Sheriff Clarke can't seem to grasp the concept that the judicial system holds sway over him.  He doesn't like it one bit.  So he's an obstructionist.  Great.  With leaders like this, it is not hard to understand why this country is in the dumper.

David Clarke is a little bit like Scott Walker.  Too big for his britches.  Time for a more thoughtful Sheriff.  When I read of silliness like this, I'm appalled and disgusted that we have a giant ego entrenched in a powerful position, rather than a reasonable and intelligent person.