Franklin City Neighbors

A Letter from Franklin Police Chief to Municipal Leaders

Jul 23, 2002

To: The Honorable Members of The Intergovernmental Cooperation Council

Date: Monday July 22, 2002

Reference: David Clarke?’s Ideas Are Losing Propositions For Your Communities


Milwaukee County Government is facing a potential budget deficit exceeding $50 million; and while other Community Leaders attempt to find solutions to reduce this Excessive Tax Burden on County Tax Payers, David Clarke irresponsibly continues to mount up deficit spending through non-budgeted deployment of Milwaukee County Deputies, duplicating tax expenditures at all levels of government.

While Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker attempts to address the upcoming 2003 Milwaukee County Budget problems, Mr. Clarke has proposed a budget exceeding 16% that drastically reduces the services his agency is responsible for including patrol of the freeways and Milwaukee County Grounds. Additionally, the Judges have expressed their concern over the safety of their courtrooms, the Deputies report understaffing of the jails, and the Acting Sheriff is going to reduce drug enforcement, and eliminate the helicopter and boat patrol. But yet, he wants to take over law enforcement in your community. If his agency cannot handle the areas he is responsible for, you should ask yourself, ?“how then is going to handle the law enforcement services of your community without reducing service or drastically increasing your costs??” Either one of those is a losing proposition to take back to your citizens, especially after the squads you?’re paying for to provide service to your community are someplace else other than your community trying to provide the service the Sheriff?’s Department is responsible for, but cannot provide in their own budget.

Mr. Clarke is the non-elected interim Sheriff appointed by Governor Scott McCallum to fill the balance of Sheriff Lev Baldwin?’s term, who took his golden parachute provided by the Great Milwaukee County Pension Rip Off, and retired prior to the end of his term in office.

In trying to justify his irresponsible actions, Mr. Clarke hides behind his statement ?“This is about how we can best keep this community safe?”. Mr. Clarke?’s statement is phony and completely unjust to all Milwaukee County Residents, especially to the fine citizens of the City of Milwaukee. If Mr. Clarke?’s concerns for the safety of the community were genuine, why then is he deploying non-funded deputies that are increasing our budget deficit, to the suburbs who have good control on their crime rates, instead of sending them to the areas of the City of Milwaukee with high burglary, robbery, murder, drug, and gang related crime activity? The fine people living in these parts of Milwaukee want added police response and protection; but it seems their pleas for help have fallen on the deaf ears of Mr. Clarke ?“who is playing out his own agenda?” rather than assisting the City of Milwaukee residents needing assistance. Why would this man who is still a Command Officer of Milwaukee Police Chief Arthur Jones turn his back on the citizens of Milwaukee who need all the help they can get with their crime problem?

Mr. Clarke says that he ?“characterizes resistance as a natural phenomenon of change?”. Mr. Clarke should try comprehending the words that he secretes. He is vigorously resisting his changed role from a City Police Officer to an Acting Sheriff. He refuses to recognize that his new temporary duties are quite different from those of his prior job, and therefore hasn?’t even attempted to adjust to his new temporary role. ?“Failing to overcome his extremely high resistance to change?”, Mr. Clarke attempts to cling to his prior duties by inappropriately exerting his authority on experienced and well qualified law enforcement leaders who Clarke envisions as weak, rather than taking a chance of stepping on the toes of his boss Chief Jones, by trying to help the fine citizens of the City of Milwaukee who need help attacking their extremely high crime rate. Mr. Clarke fails to recognize that the Citizens of Milwaukee ?“have the right to be kept safe too?”. He also underestimates suburban law enforcement leaders and personnel, and fails to understand suburban residents.

Mr. Clarke says that ?“he is open to compromise and discussion, but what he will not deal with is drawing lines in the sand?”. He adds ?“That is to the detriment of the people we?’re sworn to protect?”. The only Law Enforcement Executive that ?“has drawn lines in the sand?” is Mr. Clarke. This temporary agency head has made his determination how he is going to handle all the Milwaukee County Suburban Law Enforcement situations without any input from any of the Police Chiefs selected to head those agencies by their communities, and with no budget to carry out his desires, but refuses to take that same chance with his boss Milwaukee Police Chief Arthur Jones. His actions are ?“to the detriment of the fine people of the City of Milwaukee?”, who he is neglecting to help battle the high crime they live in daily. His inability and unwillingness to ?“discuss?” any of his actions with other law enforcement executives provides no opportunity for ?“compromise?” on his or anyone else?’s part.

Mr. Clarke says ?“he wants one area where criminal information, field interviews and raw data can be analyzed, collated and sorted?”. If Mr. Clarke bothered to take the time to ?“discuss?” issues with the suburban law enforcement leaders, he would have learned that 15 out of 19 jurisdictions already share information through a shared master name system. The City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County are not part of that system because they don?’t want to be part of anything they do not have the absolute control over. What happened to Mr. Clarke?’s statement about ?“compromise, discussion, and cooperation?”?

And worst of all, Mr. Clarke who has never been the head of any agency has openly insulted every law enforcement officer of every law enforcement agency in the state of Wisconsin by declaring if you have never worked for the City of Milwaukee Police Department, you don?’t know what you are doing and are inadequate in your abilities. Mr. Clarke said ?“We work hand in hand with the Milwaukee Police Department, but we don?’t have to assist to the degree that I have to with the suburban agencies because they don?’t have the resources, and they don?’t have all the experience?”. The people of Milwaukee who don?’t feel safe in their homes and neighborhoods anymore should ask Milwaukee Police Captain David Clarke ?“If Milwaukee Police have so many more resources and so much more experience than suburban police, why are the suburban neighborhoods so much safer, and why do Milwaukee residents have to wait so long for Police Response, and why is the Milwaukee crime rate so much higher??” The people of the suburbs should ask Acting Sheriff David Clarke, ?“If he assumes control of their police services, how long will it take for their crime rate to rise to the level of the City of Milwaukee, and how long will they have to wait for Police Response in their neighborhoods of declining safety??”

David Clarke has resisted change and refused to adapt to his role as acting Sheriff. He has refused to study methods to improve his new agency, to attempt to assist in attacking the critical budget shortfall, or to work cooperatively with other law enforcement leaders. Milwaukee County Residents cannot afford his lack of leadership or management inability. And the Community Leaders of the nineteen (19) municipalities of Milwaukee County can not responsibly turn over the leadership of the law enforcement services of their communities to this one individual who has not been able to adapt to the responsibilities on one (1) agency.

The honorable members of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council are rightfully, and responsibly looking for more efficient methods of providing services to your communities. I strongly and respectfully recommend you reject the idea of going to one large metropolitan law enforcement agency that will end up reducing your services while raising your costs. I believe a better more efficient and effective method of addressing your concerns is merging of services within the Milwaukee County Emergency Government Zones. This method retains ?“Home Rule?”, which has historically been so important to the residents in the State of Wisconsin, and would permit you to retain the same level and quality of services you are accustomed to, while lowering your costs. It can also be accomplished under current local and state laws. I would be extremely interested in speaking with you about this method that will permit your citizens to experience major cost savings without any reduction in service.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,
Kenneth W. Bohn
Chief of Police
City of Franklin Police Department