Sheriff David Clarke Speaks Out

“A political construct.” That’s what Milwaukee County, Wis., Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. calls the Black Lives Matter movement. It has nothing to do with black lives, he points out in the latest Frontlines video released by NRA News.  “It’s a dangerous, hateful, destructive ideology,” he says. He further decries Black Lives Matters followers as “purveyors of hate toward the American police officer.” 

Those are not just idle words. Clarke is a 38-year law enforcement veteran who has seen much during his lengthy career. Having risen in the ranks from patrol officer to detective, homicide investigator to lieutenant, and commander to the 64th Sheriff of Milwaukee County, Clarke brings an experienced and powerful voice to any law enforcement discussion. And chiefly, he’s concerned about the larger issue at hand. 

Clarke cites American icons of the Civil Rights struggle—names like Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King—and wonders how they’ve been replaced with criminals that contributed toward what happened to them in the end. “How did we fall this far this fast … from Rosa Parks to Mike Brown?” he asks, almost rhetorically. 

Clarke was raised with respect instilled in him. “My dad demanded discipline of me,” he recalls. “He didn’t ask for it. Demanded it.” So when the Milwaukee born-and-bred sheriff says that “cops are good people,” he means it with every fiber of his being.

“Are we perfect?” he asks. “Not by any stretch of the imagination.” The sheriff elaborates. “You know what I expect from my people when I send them out every day? They know it. Excellence, not perfection. Excellence. And from law enforcement officers all across this country, we get excellence.”