Clarke, ordained by God, wants deputies to just shut up and salute

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke is a slow learner.

Clarke, in all kinds of hot water for retaliating against a deputy who dared to criticize him, has a new idea:

Let's gag all of the deputies so they can't tell anyone what I'm doing to them. And if they break that rule, why, I'll just punish them.

The deputies, understandably, are less than thrilled with Clarke's latest attempt to impose a total dictatorship in his department. In fact, they have filed a legal action. Something about some First Amendment or something.

A recap is necessary:

One of Clarke's deputies, Bailiff Michael Schuh, criticized Clarke in an article in a union newsletter last month. Clarke, who thinks he is above criticism, retaliated by assigning Schuh to a one-man foot patrol, with no backup or squad car, in one of Milwaukee's most dangerous inner city neighborhoods.

That prompted a page one newspaper story and generated a week's worth of bad news for Clarke, who kept pouring gasoline on the fire. Even his best friends,the radio talkers, turned on him.

That first story quoted a July 25 memo to Schuh from Sheriff's Capt. Eileen T. Richards, outlining his new assignment. The story ran on July 26.

On July 28, Clarke issued his new gag order. If no one could share any documents or talk to the news media, he wouldn't have any problems, right?

Wrong.

Someone must be in trouble now, because the new order found its way to the newspaper, although it took a week. In all likelihood, the paper asked the union for a copy after the deputies union filed for a restraining order to block the policy.

The problem between the sheriff and his deputies is fundamental. David Clarke has forgotten that he was elected by the people of Milwaukee County to run a public agency, where information is accessible and he is accountable to the citizens.

He thinks he was anointed by God, was endowed with unlimited power, and is above being questioned, let alone criticized, by anyone. And he was assigned department employees to salute smartly and carry out his every wish.

Well, Sheriff, welcome to life in a democratic society. People have rights and legal protections. They even have the right to disagree. And, yes, they have those pesky unions.

From the Journal Sentinel story:

Employees "shall not impart (agency business) to anyone except those for whom it is intended, or as directed by the sheriff or his designee, or as ordered by law," according to a copy of the directive the union provided Friday.

The directive, issued July 28, states that the purpose of the policy is to "ensure that an accurate dissemination of information is provided to those inquiring about organization business."

It also directs employees not to maintain any copies of reports and memos, "whether in manual or electronic format," at any location outside department offices without permission.The directive was issued two days after reports that Clarke had reassigned Deputy Michael Schuh, a 55-year-old bailiff, to a one-man foot patrol in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city after he criticized the sheriff in a union newsletter

"Given the time frame and the context in which the directive arose, it would not be unreasonable to conclude that the real 'threat' Sheriff Clarke seeks to quell is, in fact, embarrassment to himself," says the motion for the restraining order, made public late Friday afternoon.

Roy Felber, president of the Milwaukee Deputy Sheriffs' Association, the union that represents sheriff's deputies, said the intent of the directive is to prevent members from raising concerns over working conditions to association lawyers and to muffle dissent.

It would also inhibit mundane conversations about department work between deputies and their families and friends, and even prohibit association officials from discussing controversial matters between the union and management with news media, Felber said.

"In essence, what (Clarke) did to Deputy Schuh he's trying to do to the entire department," Felber said. "He's basically trying to censor us. It's a gag order."

Of course it is. The scary thing is, David Clarke doesn't see anything wrong with that.