What is it with the sudden grab for power by conservative office holders? It's like someone gave the okay to take authoritarianism to the extreme. Who would notice?
jsonline: Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. has over the past month returned 61 inmates to jail who had been released with electronic monitoring bracelets, under tougher standards … Clarke said he made the change to put behind bars offenders he considers too dangerous for electronic monitoring.
Clarke said he (saw) offenders he considered public safety risks getting into the jail alternative program (and) a 2006 state Court of Appeals ruling that said sheriffs generally have the power (who would get) out of jail on electronic monitoring.
This is where this unabashed authoritarian bully saw an
opening:
Clarke said his office determined they couldn't dictate whether an offender was released with a bracelet monitor. Judges used electronic monitoring as "nothing more than a jail leniency tool," Clarke said.
We don’t want to be lenient in a way that challenges Clarke’s
perceive authority:
Several inmates brought back to jail had been convicted of felony charges, such as battery, theft and failure to pay child support. Most of those returned to jail, however, were convicted on drug or multiple drunken driving charges, according to information provided by the sheriff.
Even a poor 24-year-old West Allis man with a third drunken
driving charge. He was clean, did not drink and drive, but “Drahonovsky's
monitoring privilege was revoked by the sheriff's office Dec. 30.”
This isn’t the first time Clarke disregarded any reasonable approach
to manage his office:
jsonline: The legal dispute over the dismissal of 27 sheriff's deputies in Milwaukee County is just another example of how dysfunctional county government is and of how Milwaukee County taxpayers often have to bear the burden of that dysfunction. Clarke is refusing to lay off the deputies, arguing that as a separate constitutional officer, he is not like other department heads and has the authority to manage his department as he sees fit to perform his duty to protect the public safety. His refusal spurred Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele to hire outside counsel and file suit to force Clarke to lay off the deputies.
Can he do this and get away with it? Don't get me wrong, I personally would not want one officer let go, but these conservative "leaders" have created this mess, and should have to live by the same rules.
UPDATE: 2-3: Looks like Clarke backed down:
UPDATE: 2-3: Looks like Clarke backed down:
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. announced Thursday that he was giving up his legal fight over deputy layoffs as the county prepared to issue 48 pink slips.
What happened? Some kind of ruling was issued laying off 27 deputies, and Clarke is just ignoring it? I think it's unacceptable that certain public officials believe they lay outside the realm of legal constraints. I've very often seen officers of various public standing merely ignore the law, legal injunctions or court rulings. Why is it any less criminal than the offenders they so are so quick to point their fingers at?
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