Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele pulled no punches Wednesday after learning that Sheriff David Clarke planned to resign.
Clarke told a local radio host that he will be leaving his position next month in order to take a job in Washington D.C. with the Department of Homeland Security.
Abele and Clarke have long been at odds, and Abele was quick to respond to the news.
"I’ve said repeatedly that Milwaukee deserves better than Sheriff Clarke. America does too,” Abele said in a news release.
"For the County I love and am privileged to serve, I am genuinely excited about the prospect of a Sheriff I can work with to find evidence-based solutions that will improve public safety and safely reduce our jail population, and who actually cares about addressing the indefensible racial disparities that everyone in Milwaukee should have as their first priority.”
Abele and Clarke have been at odds over the years for situations as major as the salaries of sheriff’s deputies and as minor as Clarke’s love for the Dallas Cowboys.
"For the Country I love, the last thing America needs is another loud voice angrily and unproductively telling you who to blame and who not to trust,” Abele continued in his his news release. "The appointment of Sheriff Clarke to a position intended to build partnership and engagement is not a decision made by someone interested in partnership or engagement."
It's unclear what position within the department Clarke will be taking. The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office has not provided further details and the Department of Homeland Security said that nothing is official yet.
Be sure and watch TODAY'S TMJ4 on Roku! We are the only station in Milwaukee to provide the latest news, weather and sports on the device. Search for us on Roku today!
