David A. Clarke, Jr
| David A. Clarke Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 64th Sheriff of Milwaukee County | |
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Assumed office March 19, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Lev Baldwin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
David Alexander Clarke Jr. August 21, 1956 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Julie Clarke |
| Alma mater |
Concordia University, Wisconsin (BA) |
| Website | Official website |
David Alexander Clarke Jr. (born August 21, 1956) is the 64th Sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. In 2002, Clarke was appointed to a vacancy by Governor Scott McCallum, and later elected that same year to his first four-year term. He was re-elected in November 2006, 2010, and 2014, and is currently serving his fourth full term. Although registered and elected as a Democrat in a heavily Democratic county, Clarke's political views align with conservative Republicans. Clarke frequently appears as a guest on Fox News and was a speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention.
Clarke was born in Milwaukee, one of five children of Jeri and David Clarke Sr. His father was a paratrooper with the 2nd Ranger Infantry Company. Clarke Jr. attended Marquette University High School.
His career in law enforcement began in 1978 at the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD). He "rose through the ranks at a slow but steady pace in his 24 years with the department." Clarke was a patrol officer for eleven years and then a homicide detective; he was promoted to lieutenant of detectives in 1993 and captain in 1999.
In 1999, Clarke received a B.A. in Management of Criminal Justice from Concordia University Wisconsin's School of Adult and Continuing Education.
In January 2002, Milwaukee County Sheriff Leverett F. (Lev) Baldwin resigned midway through his term to take a pension payout. Clarke was one of ten applicants for the position, and was appointed sheriff on March 19, 2002, by Governor Scott McCallum. He was elected to a full term later in 2002, and has been reelected every four years since then.
Clarke has often clashed with the county government over the sheriff's office budget, engaging "in a long-running, high-profile tiff" over the issue with Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, "with Clarke providing the more incendiary rhetoric." Abele's proposed budget for 2014 would cut $12 million from the Sheriff's Office budget, eliminating 69 jobs and "shifting park patrols, emergency management, 911 communications and training divisions" to other entities, such as the Milwaukee Police Department, suburban police departments, and the county Department of Emergency Preparedness. Abele described the budget as a way to refocus the sheriff's office on "core, mandated services." Clarke issued a statement calling Abele a "vindictive little man" and saying that "Abele should be drug-tested. He has to be on heroin or hallucinating with that statement." Abele responded by saying that it was "unfortunate the sheriff, instead of engaging in thoughtful civil discourse, is making personal attacks and making light of a serious problem in our community and state."
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Wikipedia