David A. Clarke Jr.

Early life, education, and early career

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.

Budget and clashes with Milwaukee County government

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."

On another occasion, Clarke said that Abele had "penis envy."

In 2015, Clarke clashed with Abele again after Clarke filed a lawsuit against the county over the sheriff's budget, seeking $25 million in funds to hire 75 deputies, 43 House of Corrections officers and 17 supervisors. Clarke argued that his office is underfunded by the county, while Abele noted that the sheriff's office had received the largest increase of any county department and criticized Clarke for having what he termed "a very heavy command staff," "a lot of unnecessary overtime," and redundancies in courthouse security. Clarke sued Abele, alleging that he had violated Clarke's right to free speech through the budget process; a federal judge dismissed Clarke's suit in April 2016.

A county audit released in 2012 showed that the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office used asset forfeiture funds to buy exercise equipment for Clarke's command staff, for a Disney training, and for a mounted patrol unit. The audit reported that the spending violated county procurement rules, although not federal rules on the use of seized money. Clarke was criticized for the amount of money spent on the mounted patrol by County Supervisor Patricia Jursik; Clarke defended the office's use of the funds.

According to an Associated Press tally, from 2012 to April 2016, Clarke had incurred more than $310,000 in legal fees for his private attorney, who represented him in litigation against Milwaukee County. Milwaukee County taxpayers paid the legal fees. The county spent an additional $83,000 defending itself against Clarke's lawsuits.

House of Corrections

In January 2008, a National Institute of Corrections audit of the Milwaukee County House of Correction in Franklin identified 44 areas of concern, calling the House of Correction "dysfunctional" and determining that it suffered from "serious security, staff morale and management flaws." The House of Corrections was at the time a separate Milwaukee County department overseen by a superintendent who reported to then Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. Walker and the County Board transferred control over the House to the Sheriff's Department under Clarke on January 1, 2009. The House's former work-release center was transferred to the Milwaukee County Jail. Clarke received praise for rapidly correcting many of the issues identified in the report.

Position on gun issues

In January 2013, Clarke was featured on a series of public radio ads that said citizens could no longer rely on the police for timely protection and should arm themselves. Later that month, Clarke appeared on the CNN program Piers Morgan Live, with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who "said it was irresponsible of Clarke to 'basically imply' that it won't help citizens to call 911 when they need help."

Political views and associations

Clarke is registered as a Democrat, which, according to Journal Sentinel reporter Daniel Bice, is advantageous in heavily Democratic Milwaukee County. However, Clarke is almost universally regarded as a conservative and has been referred to as "right of most righties." Clarke "is frequently critical of Milwaukee Democrats, such as Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett; he speaks at many Republican functions, and he has the backing of the National Rifle Association," which has raised funds for his reelection campaigns. Clarke has in turn been criticized by the local Democratic Party. On his website in 2014, Clarke stated that he questioned "why the Office of Sheriff is a partisan election" and wrote: "I have never asked a person to vote for me because I run as a Democrat. I ask them to vote for me based on my 35-year commitment to keeping citizens safe. Most voters get it when it comes to public safety. There is no Democrat or Republican way to be a sheriff. The enemy is not the opposing party; the enemy is the criminal."

Maurice Chammah characterized Clarke as an "iconoclastic sheriff," one of "a long line of controversy-courting lawmen" that includes Richard Mack and Joe Arpaio in Arizona. Clarke has been "associated with those on the political extremes" on occasion, and has attracted attention for these "dalliances with the far right". In 2013, Clarke accepted the "Sheriff of the Year Award" by the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a group of sheriffs founded by Mack. The Southern Poverty Law Center has criticized founder Mack and his organization for espousing "radical-right" views. Earlier the same year, Clarke appeared for an interview on the syndicated show of Alex Jones. Clarke has also appeared on CNN, Fox News, and other major news outlets to discuss ongoing police controversies.

Clarke is a frequent and vociferous critic of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, referring to it as "Black Lies Matter" and describing the movement as a hate group. Clarke denies that cops are more willing to shoot black suspects than white suspects, has labeled BLM activists "subhuman creeps", and has called for the eradication of the movement "from American society". He also warned in Twitter about Black Lives Matter's supposed willingness to join forces with ISIS. Clarke has blamed "liberal policies" for rioting and other issues in American cities. Clarke's stance on the movement has been criticized by the Milwaukee chapter of the NAACP and other activists.

Clarke has harshly criticized various black critics of police abuses. He has called former Attorney General Eric Holder an "a-hole" and accused him in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee of "outright hostility" toward police; referred to Al Sharpton as a "charlatan"; and criticized Beyoncé for her referencing Black Panthers in her halftime-show performance at the 2016 Super Bowl.

In 2015, Clarke traveled privately to Moscow, his expenses covered by the Russian Organization "The Right to Bear Arms”. Clarke is a strong supporter of Republican Donald Trump, saying during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign that he would "do everything I can" to help Trump win the presidency. Clarke spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. In October 2016, Clarke tweeted, "It's incredible that our institutions of gov, WH, Congress, DOJ, and big media are corrupt & all we do is bitch. Pitchforks and torches time." with an attached photo of an angry mob holding pitchforks and torches. On November 25, 2016, it was reported that Clarke would be meeting with Donald Trump for a possible role in his administration.

Comments on drugs

Clarke opposes government-funded drug rehabilitation programs and has criticized efforts to shift drug offenders to drug-treatment programs instead of jail or prison, saying: "Those programs de-motivate people to address their own problems. So don't expect me to pay for your drug rehab. Find your own through the private sector."

At a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in May 2015, Clark was asked by U.S. Representative Steve Cohen: "Would you agree that marijuana possession is not the scourge of the black community and does not lead to violent crime the same way that meth, crack cocaine, and heroin do?" Clarke responded: "No, I wouldn't agree with that at all."

In a podcast on a Glenn Beck's conservative TheBlaze Radio Network in October 2015, Clarke criticized African Americans, stating: "Let me tell you why blacks sell drugs and involve themselves in criminal behavior instead of a more socially acceptable lifestyle—because they're uneducated, they're lazy, and they're morally bankrupt. That's why." The remark received substantial attention in the press and on social media.

Habeas corpus

In a December 2015 appearance on his radio program, Clarke asserted that there were "hundreds of thousands" or "maybe a million" people who "have pledged allegiance or are supporting ISIS, giving aid and comfort," and stated that "our commander in chief ought to utilize Article I, Section 9" to imprison them at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp "and hold them indefinitely under a suspension of habeas corpus."

Persona and media appearances

Clarke frequently appears at public events on horseback wearing a cowboy hat.

Clarke "has become a fixture of conservative media" and in 2015 began hosting a podcast talk show, "David Clarke: The People's Sheriff," on Glenn Beck's TheBlaze Radio Network, where he has expressed support for the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He received criticism for his statement on his podcast: "Let me tell you why blacks sell drugs and involve themselves in criminal behavior instead of a more socially acceptable lifestyle: because they're uneducated, they're lazy and they're morally bankrupt. That's why." Clarke also frequently appears as a guest on Fox News, and on one occasion in September 2015 guest-hosted The Sean Hannity Show.

Potential mayoral run

In January 2014, Clarke announced he was considering a run for mayor of Milwaukee in 2016, but ultimately decided not to run, instead endorsing Republican Alderman Bob Donovan's unsuccessful bid to unseat Mayor Barrett.

Lawsuit

In February 2017 a Detroit-area man filed a harassment lawsuit against Clarke after Milwaukee deputies detained the man at the Milwaukee airport in January. The man had asked Clarke about his football team preference and made a gesture Clarke found suspicious. After the man filed a complaint Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office issued a statement saying that Clarke had a "reasonable right to pre-empt a possible assault" and that the next person to attempt the man's "stunt ... may get knocked out."

Proselytism lawsuit

In 2006, Clarke invited members of an Evangelical Christian organization, the Fellowship of Christian Centurions, to speak at several mandatory employee meetings, at which the group members proselytized. Several deputies complained about the Centurions' proselytizing, but Clarke refused to stop the presentations. The sheriff deputies' union and two individual sheriff's deputies (a Catholic and a Muslim) successfully sued Clarke in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Clarke appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which upheld the lower court's ruling in 2009. The sheriff did not seek review in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Death of Terrill Thomas

The Milwaukee County Jail turned the water off to inmate Terrill Thomas' cell, resulting in his death by profound dehydration on April 24, 2016. According to inmates, the water was turned off for six days and the staff refused to provide water to Thomas. On September 15, 2016, the Milwaukee medical examiner ruled Thomas's death a homicide. Later that day Clarke's office sent out a press release which stated it would not be commenting on the matter until the investigation was complete.

Personal life

Clarke and his wife live on the northwest side of Milwaukee.