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alogues can take place and effective decisions can take place.”
The first chapters of Cop Under Fire, with titles such as “From Rebellions to Respect for the Badge” and “I’m Colorblind When it Comes to Crime and Punishment,” seem to draw from the early part of Sheriff Clarke’s 24 years with the Milwaukee Police Department, including 11 as a patrol officer before becoming a homicide de- tective, lieutenant and captain.
The sheriff’s propensity to “not worry about people’s reactions, so here’s my view” probably inspired chap- ters like “Black Lives Matter...Less to BLM Than Lies and Leftist Politics” and “Changing the Culture is a Mat- ter of Faith, Not Politics.” And the final chapter, “War Has Been Declared on the American Police Officer,” provides not only a rousing concluding statement but a reason to keep turning pages.
Readers will decipher Sheriff Clarke’s manifesto as an empowerment of the psyche of the law enforcement of- ficer that he believes is taking a beating. He reinforces the message with his renowned eloquence that all offi- cers should keep their heads held high and keep fight- ing for law-abiding people.
“Really what makes this experiment in self-rule pos- sible is the respect for the rule of law and respect for authority,” Sheriff Clarke emphasizes. “Stay focused on the honor of putting on that uniform and that badge. Never betray the badge, because at the end of the day, all we have is the public trust.” d
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