Police endorsement is double-edged

The endorsement of the Milwaukee Police Assn., the union representing the city's cops, is usually sought after by political candidates. The endorsement can bring some money, foot soldiers, and give some law enforcement stamp of approval to a candidate.

But it's not all positive these days when you sign on with the MPA, which is what Rep. Mark Green did on Thursday.

There are more than a few chinks in the MPA's armor.

On the same day the MPA was kissing up to Green, and vice versa, the MPA called for the head of District Attorney E. Michael McCann. McCann had filed murder and perjury charges against a police officer who shot an unarmed suspect 19 times and allegedly lied about it under oath at an inquest. Tragically, the officer committed suicide the same day he was arraigned.

McCann has taken heat over the years for his failure to prosecute officers involved in fatal shootings. Inquest juries have consistently ruled the homicides as justifiable, and McCann has left it at that. This time, he continued to investigate after the inquest and decided to file charges anyway. Ironically, the officer he charged was black, the victim a Latino. Most cases have involved white officers and black victims.

You can hardly blame McCann for doing what he believes was the right thing in this case, or hold him responsible for the officer's suicide.

But the MPA is out for blood -- and not for the first time, as today's Journal Sentinel story points out:

The union tried to recall McCann from the Milwaukee County office in 1982, after he brought reckless-homicide charges against Milwaukee Police Department officers in the death of Ernest R. Lacy, 22, who died in police custody the previous year. That effort fell far short of getting enough signatures to force an election.

McCann, who has already announced plans to retire when his current term expires Dec. 31, responded by noting that the last five years have seen 31 criminal convictions of Milwaukee Police Department officers, including 27 in cases brought by his office.

"We will continue to do what's right," McCann said, "and we will prosecute as we see proper. I think it's a tragedy certainly about the officer's death, but we're going to continue to do what's right. That's my job."

I think this round goes to McCann.

Does Mark Green support the district attorney or the union that wants him to resign? (How about Paul Bucher and J.B. Van Hollen, the Republicans running for attorney general, for that matter. Where do they stand on McCann?)

There are other things that make a police union endorsement something less than a slam dunk.

There's the matter of the legislative battle this year when the MPA fought tooth and nail to make taxpayers fund the salaries of fired cops while their cases are on appeal, despite evidence of how the system has been abused to keep them on the payroll for years before they drop the appeal in the final hour. Does Green agree with that law?

What does Green have to say about the Frank Jude case, where a gang of off-duty cops at a party savagely beat someone, then engaged in a Wall of Silence to prevent any successful prosecution of the wrongdoers? That case has seriously damaged the standing of police officers and their union in the community, and not just the inner city. The union, zealous in protecting its members, frequently offers them counsel and advice on whether to talk and what to say. In yet another fatal shooting case recently, conversations between ex-MPA head Bradley DeBraska and the officer who did the shooting were ruled inadmissible in court, even though DeBraska was a union rep, not the officer's lawyer.

MPA President John Balcerzak, who announced the endorsement, was once fired himself but won his job back in court. He was one of the so-called "Dahmer cops" who returned a naked, bleeding 14-year-old boy to the arms of Jeffrey Dahmer, dismissing the incident as some kind of gay lovers' quarrel.

Balcerzak, in Green's press release, had this to say:

"Being a City of Milwaukee Police Officer, and the president of the Milwaukee Police Association, which is the largest police union in the state of Wisconsin, I am proud to endorse Mark Green for governor," said Balcerzak. "The MPA chose to endorse Mark Green because he is exactly what the state of Wisconsin needs. He is a person who will restore honor and integrity to the highest office in the state. His values mirror that of a police officer. And he is a person that any law enforcement officer would be proud to stand next to and call governor."

The question might be how close Green wants to stand to Balcerzak, and whether the voters will believe the MPA is the best judge of "honor and integrity."