Posted on 05/07/2003 5:51:01 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. announced Tuesday he has established a gun crime task force that will rely on so-called consent searches of cars in the city, a practice that has been restricted among Milwaukee police.
Police Chief Arthur Jones was conspicuously absent from Clarke's news conference, attended by Mayor John O. Norquist, County Executive Scott Walker, U.S. Attorney Steven M. Biskupic and others. Clarke said Jones was "not invited, for no particular reason."
The chief said later that he didn't respond to Clarke's earlier effort to involve him because "it wasn't necessary," and that he hoped deputies' searches don't violate the rights of innocent citizens.
Consent searches, in which police get drivers' permission to search vehicles stopped for minor infractions, can turn up evidence of more serious crimes. Proponents say the tactic helps police find drugs and guns.
But critics say the practice invites abuse. In 1999, as concerns about racial profiling heated up nationwide, Jones changed Police Department policy to require that officers be able to demonstrate a "reasonable and articulable suspicion of evidence of contraband contained within the vehicle" if they seek consent to search.
Both Clarke and Jones have been mentioned as possible candidates for the 2004 mayor's race, but Clarke said Tuesday's announcement had nothing to do with politics. He said he has been planning the gun initiative for six months because he wanted to give deputies "every resource at our disposal" to combat gun violence.
"Our officers aren't going to need 17 stamps of approval to get things done," he said. "They're going to be able to make decisions themselves."
Clarke calls the new task force the Gun Reduction Interdiction Program, or GRIP. Sixteen deputies, who have taken an extra 40 hours of constitutional rights training, with work in pairs from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. and wear special black uniforms, rather than the standard brown.
Clarke said new scanners will allow GRIP deputies to monitor Police Department radio frequencies to better determine where illegal gun activity is taking place. Deputies and police officers cannot communicate with their standard radios - and still won't be able to.
"It's very silly, but we can overcome these things," Clarke said of the communication barrier.
Jones' absence 'telling' Robert "Woody" Welch, the chairman of the Fire and Police Commission, called Jones' absence from the task force "telling."
"One of the primary duties of a chief of police is to work cooperatively with other forms of government," Welch said.
In a March 18 letter to Jones, Clarke invited the Police Department to join the gun program, which he launched April 1.
"Our agencies working together in a cooperative effort by sharing intelligence and manpower would be a very positive step toward the prevention, control and reduction of crime in the city of Milwaukee," Clarke wrote. He said Jones has yet to respond to the letter.
"I don't want to read into the fact that I haven't heard from him," Clarke said. "But what do I have to do?"
Jones said he spoke with Clarke last week about an unrelated matter. "He never mentioned this to me," Jones said.
He expressed concerns about aspects of GRIP.
"Allowing officers to stop and search people, I don't think that that's in the best interest of the citizens of the city of Milwaukee," Jones said.
At the news conference, Norquist said the sheriff's initiative will help deter violent criminals.
"The main reason criminals commit crime is they think they can get away with it," Norquist said.
Some aldermen later expressed general support, though at least one shared Jones' concerns.
Ald. Tom Nardelli, chairman of the council's Public Safety Committee, said everyone can support reducing the number of illegal guns on city streets.
"It really doesn't make a difference who's doing it," he said. "If the sheriff has the kind of resources in his department, and the backing of Scott Walker and the County Board to do it, that's great."
Ald. Willie Hines agreed, with one caveat: "I would hope, however, that innocent individuals aren't harassed and their rights aren't violated in the process."
In December, the Fire and Police Commission directed Jones to develop a plan to fight violent crime. In response, Jones placed up to 300 officers per day on overtime, later reducing that to a maximum of 186 officers. Last week, he cut the extra patrols back to between 4 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Under the sheriff's initiative, deputies are exclusively assigned to gun crime.
"This will be their sole focus," he said. "I can't have them tied up for two or three hours investigating a traffic accident."
Clarke said Milwaukeeans are "not safe in our own homes. We're hostages behind security systems and locked doors.
But police department statistics show violent crime in the city is down 17% compared with last year, with shootings down 26%, the number of people shot down 19% and the number of gun-related incidents down 21%. As of Tuesday afternoon, there have been 33 homicides in Milwaukee, vs. 34 at this point in 2002.
"David Clarke's assertions are not true," Jones said. "The Milwaukee Police Department is effective in reducing crime in city of Milwaukee," Jones said. "The numbers speak for themselves."
Greg J. Borowski of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
Go back, reread my post (post 158). It is a real simple and straight forward statement.
Okay, I'll tell you what, I'll be pro-gang and pro-race-baiter if you'll be pro-jackboot and pro-incremental-totalitarian. That way we can both be "soooooo proud."
Which means that they now have probable cause to search your vehicle."
Actually, no -- that's doesn't even rise to the level of reasonable suspicion. Reasonable suspicion is only realized when the officer takes the facts known, and the inferences from those facts, that would cause an ordinarily prudent person to believe that a crime has been committed or is taking place. It cannot be a hunch.
Nervousness, in spite of the tale of Sheriff John Bunnell in an earlier post, is not enough to satisfy reasonable suspicion. There must be, as the Supreme Court has ruled, historical facts to satisfy reasonable doubt or probable cause.
According to the law, drug-sniffing dogs cannot be called to the scene unless reasonable suspicion exists -- again, this cannot be a hunch, but it must be based on facts.
Simply being pulled over for a traffic infraction does not give the officer the right to search your vehicle unless he feels his safety is threatened -- then he can only do a limited weapons search.
The point of my post? If you have been stopped for a traffic infraction, and refuse to a search for weapons, that alone cannot cause the officer to go against your wishes or call the drug dogs out.
I know that someone will reply with, "but I know so-and-so who was stopped..." I'm sorry for that person, but the law is the law. I'm speaking about the legality, not what happens. Police officers who exceed their authority should be held accountable -- that's why we must know our rights.
You are absolutely right and I apologize. I seem to have gotten you mixed up with somebody else.
Yes, it was a simple, straightforward and totally moronic statement. What, you think because I didn't bow down to your infinite wisdom, I must have misunderstood it?
I understand that you are saying that the Sheriff, who carries a gun, is a hypocrite because he opposes some other people carrying a gun. Two big problems with that:
1. The Sheriff is pro-2nd Amendment, and those whose possession of firearms he opposes are those who possess firearms illegally, i.e., felons, minors.
2. Calling him a hypocrite for this is like calling a doctor a hypocrite if he opposes me practicing medicine.
Doctors are supposed to practice medicine. High School grads are not. Cops are supposed to carry guns. Shlubs like me are supposed to own and carry guns if we wish. Felons are not. He has a problem with the felons and not with me, but you think he should go to prison for thinking that way. Off your meds, perhaps?
That's a joke right? The foundation of all your rights, liberty, hinges on sanity, and being of age. If you're insane, your liberty can and will be limited as needed. Whether it be a permanent vacation in Bellview or semi-free supervised living in the community.
Age again is a factor. There is an age of majority when one recieves the responsibilites of citizenship. Unfortunately we've made that a tiered system, which I disagre with, but the principle remains. There are adults and those headed towards adulthood. Only the former have all the rights and privilages of citizenship.
OK, let's try this again. Welcome to remedial reading. I'll type slowly so you can follow along. Remember, we're looking for an indication that the Sheriff "opposes ANYONE besides those in government from carrying a gun."
Sheriff's task force to search cars in Milwaukee for guns
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. announced Tuesday he has established a gun crime task force that will rely on so-called consent searches of cars in the city, a practice that has been restricted among Milwaukee police.
Nope, nothing there...Of course, perhaps you are illiterate enough to confuse "searching for guns" with "banning all guns." That would not surprise me.
Police Chief Arthur Jones was conspicuously absent from Clarke's news conference, attended by Mayor John O. Norquist, County Executive Scott Walker, U.S. Attorney Steven M. Biskupic and others. Clarke said Jones was "not invited, for no particular reason."
Nope, nothing there.
The chief said later that he didn't respond to Clarke's earlier effort to involve him because "it wasn't necessary," and that he hoped deputies' searches don't violate the rights of innocent citizens.
Nope, nothing there.
Consent searches, in which police get drivers' permission to search vehicles stopped for minor infractions, can turn up evidence of more serious crimes. Proponents say the tactic helps police find drugs and guns.
Nope, still nothing about only government types having guns...
But critics say the practice invites abuse. In 1999, as concerns about racial profiling heated up nationwide, Jones changed Police Department policy to require that officers be able to demonstrate a "reasonable and articulable suspicion of evidence of contraband contained within the vehicle" if they seek consent to search.
Nope, a revisionist history of Art Jones gutting a successful gang unit sheds no light on the Sheriff's supposed gun-grabbing ambitions.
Both Clarke and Jones have been mentioned as possible candidates for the 2004 mayor's race, but Clarke said Tuesday's announcement had nothing to do with politics. He said he has been planning the gun initiative for six months because he wanted to give deputies "every resource at our disposal" to combat gun violence.
Still nothing...
"Our officers aren't going to need 17 stamps of approval to get things done," he said. "They're going to be able to make decisions themselves."
Nope, still not there...
Clarke calls the new task force the Gun Reduction Interdiction Program, or GRIP. Sixteen deputies, who have taken an extra 40 hours of constitutional rights training, with work in pairs from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. and wear special black uniforms, rather than the standard brown.
Ooh-ooh-ooh Mr. Kotter! Is it the acronym? The color of the uniforms? Nope, none of them indicate that only government officials may carry.
We have now gone 8 paras into a 31 papra story. You said it was at the top of the page. You said Clarke deserves to go to jail. There's nothing here that matches your allegation. Perhaps you could be more specific. I can't wait.
There is almost no surer way to get yourself pulled over than to do this, if they see you do it.
They will attempt to chase you down, pull you out of the car, and search it without your permission.
Acting suspiciously, don'tcha know.
Persons who have been ajudicated incompetent may be incarcerated in mental hospitals.
Persons who have been convicted of a crime, and have been released on parole, are not able to travel freely and must submit to warrantless searches of their property and effects.
And, finally, minors do not have many rights adults have.
So, we reach the point I want to reemphasize: rights do not accrue without concomitant responsibilities.
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