Clarke: I’d ‘Defy’ Any Stand Down Order

Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke (D) reacted to a report that police in Baltimore were told to stand down by stating he would “defy” any such order on Thursday’s “O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel.

“that’s not going to happen. I’m going to have to defy that order. Obviously, I report to the people” he said. And  “[I would have] defied the order, sent my officers out there, made sure they had the proper resources, and made sure that they have — they know that they have the authority to use a reasonable amount of force to accomplish their mission. And obviously we have heard some reports that that didn’t happen here, but in the end you can’t –”

Earlier, Clarke stated that it’s important police officers know that they will be prosecuted if they break the law and that “corrective action” be taken on any officers who have red flags that indicate they might break department rules or engage in criminal conduct.

He also commented on the perception of the police within the African-American community, arguing that while there is a “segment” who dislike the police, “we have the support of the overwhelming majority of the people we serve, even within the community. The black community knows that we are the firewall between them and the criminal element. If you look at the rates of crime, and you look at the things like 80% of the homicides in Milwaukee, the victims are black. 75% of the perpetrators are black as well. So, we’re in their protecting them and they appreciate that.” He added that while he couldn’t comment on the situation in Baltimore, he said “a lot of these [critics] are just blabbermouths and they make the most noise, and it’s a one-sided argument. But, there are a lot of people who are afraid to come out and won’t be on camera and talk about how — I’m talking about the black community anywhere about how much they appreciate the police.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett