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Barrett Hopes Next Milwaukee County Sheriff Is More Proactive On Public Safety

David Clarke Says He's Accepted Homeland Security Job

By
Steve Glynn (CC-BY-NC)

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says he hopes the next Milwaukee County Sheriff will take a proactive approach to law enforcement.

Current Sheriff David Clarke announced last week he’s leaving for a job with the Department of Homeland Security. Barrett has often criticized Clarke for what he sees as hands-off management of the sheriff’s office.

“I honestly never once saw him at a crime scene in over 13 years,” Barrett said. “And I want someone who is not only going to talk about public safety, but really be in there trying to improve public safety for this community,” Barrett said.

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Gov. Scott Walker said he’ll choose a sheriff who has the best law enforcement background to fill the job. Sunday, Clarke’s office highlighted the latest drunk driving arrests on Milwaukee freeways. Clarke also spent part of the weekend rejecting claims made in a CNN story that he plagiarized material for his 2013 master’s thesis.