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Journal Sentinel: Deputy in West Allis incident flashed badge in ’08 OWI

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Yesterday, in a post entitled, “The Corruption of Familiarity & Favoritism,” I wrote about how West Allis police officers declined to arrest a Milwaukee sheriff’s deputy found apparently drunk, passed out, behind the wheel of a parked car. An ordinary person would surely have been arrested; the deputy was allowed to walk away without punishment.

Unsurprisingly, this isn’t the deputy’s first brush with disgrace:

An off-duty Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy who was unresponsive and appeared to be intoxicated when he was found behind the wheel of a car that was parked on a West Allis street last week is the same deputy who showed his badge and pleaded with a Hales Corners officer to let him go when he was arrested for drunken driving in 2008.

The deputy, identified by sources as 36-year-old Christopher P. Conell, was convicted of first-offense operating while intoxicated after his 2008 arrest.

That case began when the Hales Corners officer pulled Conell over about 12:45 a.m. March 18, 2008, after seeing Conell’s car drift across the center line three times on W. Grange Ave. near S. 110th St., according to the incident report.

The report says that before the arresting officer was able to explain the reason for the traffic stop, Conell produced his badge and said, “Come on, man, I’m like two blocks from home, just let me go. Please, please.”

Conell also said, “You can’t do this to one of your own,” according to the report.

You can’t do this to one of your own. The Hales Corners officer disregarded Conell’s shameful attempt to evade responsibility, and saw the lie of what Conell said.

The officers of Hales Corners saw the obligation before them: only the people are their own; they have no smaller group or faction that they may every place above each and every resident they serve. Those in West Allis have only embarrassed themselves and their profession.

And yet, one should not doubt that bias and preferential treatment lurk elsewhere in Wisconsin, a stain on every community so corrupted.

See, Deputy in West Allis incident flashed badge in ’08 OWI.

Uncategorized

The Corruption of Familiarity & Favoritism

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Over at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, there’s a story about an off-duty Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputy who was apparently passed out, drunk, behind the wheel of a parked car, running with its lights on. The story’s entitled, “West Allis police chief says deputy probably should have been arrested.” Here’s what happened:

The car’s engine was running and its lights were on, the officials said. But the officers at the scene decided not to arrest the 36-year-old deputy because they did not believe they had probable cause to do so, West Allis Police Chief Michael Jungbluth said.

The officers also did not administer field sobriety tests or a Breathalyzer, police officials said.

Instead, police took the deputy to their station, where he was picked up by “a sober, responsible adult,” Deputy Police Chief Jerry Ponzi said. Before the deputy arrived at the station, the scene supervisor called the highest-ranking on-duty sheriff’s official and told the official the deputy was intoxicated but had not been arrested, Ponzi said.

Jungbluth, Ponzi and Milwaukee County District Attorney John T. Chisholm said the deputy did not receive preferential treatment.

Prosecutors are awaiting more information about the incident before determining whether to charge the deputy with operating while intoxicated, Chisholm said.

The deputy has been suspended with pay pending an investigation.

What would have happened to an ordinary person in these circumstances? One knows very well that an ordinary person would have been arrested.

An experienced Milwaukee attorney confirms the view that failing to charge the deputy was unfairly preferential to the deputy:

Milwaukee defense attorney Jeffrey W. Jensen said the deputy should have been arrested.

“Assuming it’s true that he was in a highly intoxicated state, that’s open-and-closed probable cause to arrest for operating under the influence,” Jensen said.

Jensen estimated he has represented about 100 people in the last 25 years who were found by police in similar circumstances. All were arrested, even those who were in the driver’s seat of a vehicle that was not running but had a key in the ignition, he said.

“If it’s true that the West Allis police found the deputy behind the wheel of the car – with the car running and the headlights on – in a highly intoxicated state, then there’s no conclusion that can be drawn other than the fact that he was given preferential treatment.”

West Allis and Milwaukee are far from my town of Whitewater, but one would not have to travel to those places to hear stories of prefential treatment.

We have it, too — that sad tendency to favor ones’s own, as though there were any such group separate exalted above others. Rules stringently enforced against some are forgotten or explained away for others. One will often hear so many officials and their lapdog hangers-on talk about principle and rectitude, but they are often among the first to forget those worthy concepts when their own
interest is at stake. The price of fitting in with that ilk is to live a servile life, catering to opinion.

Yet, for every town father, every self-regarding town squire squawking only for himself, there are countless other sensible, common people who live well and justly. They do so without praising themselves, without advancing themeselves, without grinning like Cheshire cats.

Those many are admirable, yet unheralded.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 2-12-10

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Good morning,

Whitewater’s forecast for today calls for sunny skies with a high of twenty-six degrees.

At Washington Elementary today, a pet food drive continues, and at the Middle School, it’s Spirit Day.

The Wisconsin Historical Society notes that on this day in 2002

2002 – Verona Athlete Wins Gold Medal in 2002 Olympics

On this date Verona’s Casey FitzRandolph won a gold medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games in the Men’s 500 Meters. He began his career on the ice playing ice hockey and was inspired by Madison native Eric Heiden, an Olympic speed skater. FitzRandolph tried speed skating in his hockey skates and soon caught the attention of coaches in Wisconsin. He became an Olympian in 1998, when he placed sixth in the 500 meters and seventh in the 1000 at the Nagano Olympic Games. At the Salt Lake City Games he broke the olympic record in the 500 meters with a time of 1:09:23.

Over the years, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, “Wisconsin has played key role in U.S. medal haul“:

The many contributions of Wisconsin athletes to the Winter Games is one of the great untold stories of the U.S. Olympic movement. In speedskating alone, the state has produced 33 Olympians, starting with Milwaukee’s Delbert Lamb and Bob Peterson in 1936. Wisconsin also has produced Olympic hockey players, curlers, cross-country skiers and even ski jumpers.

“It is legendary,” said Alan Ashley, managing director of sport performance for the United States Olympic Committee. “It just shows the state and the people in the state are fired up about sports and are involved in sports that are part of the Winter Olympics program, and they’re excellent at it.”

City, Planning

From the Washington Examiner: Parody — Resolved that Snow is Hereby Banned

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In my small town of fourteen-thousand, in rural Wisconsin, we have both the seasonal inconvenience of too much snow and the year-round inconvenience of planning and scheming bureaucrats.

There are differences of scale between the municipal meddling that afflicts us and that afflicting big cities like Atlanta or Los Angeles. We’re not an over-taxed, over-regulated big city; we’re an over-taxed, over-regulated small town. We’ve not the burden of bureaucrats wasting hundreds of millions of tax dollars and public debt on municipal projects; we’ve the burden of bureaucrats wasting tens of millions of tax dollars and public debt on municipal projects.

Why not pit one problem against another? Let’s have scheming bureaucrats and politicians do what they do best, to address the problem of too much snow in Whitewater: Why don’t they just ban snow?

Over at the Washington Examiner, Sam Ryan proposes exactly that course for Washington, D.C., in a parody entitled, “Parody — Resolved that Snow is Hereby Banned.”

(Presumably, Ryan prefaced the word parody in front of the essay as part of the parody, suggesting that some federal legislators would need to be told his parody was, in fact, a parody. That’s probably doubly necessary in a place like Whitewater.)

Here’s an excerpt from Ryan’s proposal:

As our nation’s capital recovers from yet another massive blizzard, the problem of unregulated snow can no longer be ignored. It’s time for Congress to set limits on the crystalline mayhem that descends through the atmosphere wreaking havoc on all hard-working Americans.

Certainly, snow-control legislation would require political willpower and bipartisan support. But if today’s policy-makers cannot put an end to snow storms, none of us will escape these boom-and-bust blizzards that undermine the foundations of our nation’s growth and prosperity.

Consider the facts.

Local governments — particularly plow crews — cannot deal with snow effectively. Weatherpersons “predict” snow, but don’t do anything about it….

In short, everything grinds to a halt….

The bigger problem, of course, is the practical one. Regulating precipitation — or even banning snow entirely — won’t actually stop snow from falling. Virtually all meteorologists agree that — given certain atmospheric conditions — snow will continue to fall from the sky regardless of any federal law.

Although this may seem like an intractable problem, there is a simple solution. Congress should create a special committee — comprised of a blue-ribbon panel of experts (with at least one labor representative) — to study the problem and submit recommendations four years hence, at which time a more effective law could be passed.

The committee — and its various subcommittees — could be funded by a penny-per-shovel tax. Some might argue that taxing shovels could actually exacerbate the snow problem by discouraging Americans from buying them. However, this problem can also be fixed through legislation.

Congress could simply mandate that that all Americans purchase shovels. Yes, there would need to be a carve-out for Alaskans who already own shovels, and perhaps a Medicaid-style program for those who cannot afford shovels. But those are minor details that could be worked out in conference committee.

Why not a local ordinance and task force modeled on this proposal? We have ample precedent for regulating anything that moves, and quite a few things that don’t. We’re well-familiar with task forces and ad hoc committees that do nothing but doing nothing.

One more law and one more ordinance wouldn’t be a departure for Whitewater, Wisconsin, but rather continuation of a longstanding local habit.

Politics

Wisconsin State Journal: Sheridan and lobbyist attended ritzy conference together; campaign spending questioned

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There’s a new story at the Wisconsin State Journal revealing that Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Sheridan attended a ritzy resort with the payday loan industry lobbyist that he was dating while his caucus drafted legislation about that industry.  Sheridan’s also not been living in his district, and has kept shoddy records of his travel expenses.

In a story entitled, “Sheridan and lobbyist attended ritzy conference together; campaign spending questioned,” Mary Spicuzza reports that

A payday loan lobbyist who has dated state Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan attended the same conference he went to at a luxurious Georgia resort this fall, as well as another conference in California.

Both Sheridan, 51, and Shanna Wycoff, 31, were listed as attendees at the conference for statehouse speakers at The Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia, said Stephen Lakis, president of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation.

There are two aspects to the revelation.  The first was to be expected, really, once it became clear that Sheridan attended a resort.  One could guess that he attended with Wycoff.  The dodgy expense reports that he’s filed pointed toward, well, that Sheridan attended a resort while Wycoff was there.  The first aspect involves Sheridan attending resorts with the lobbyist he’s dating.

There’s a second aspect, though, more fundamental.  Even if Sheridan attended alone, even if he were the only one at the resort, I would question his judgment in attending (and, of course, in accounting evasively for his expenses).

What district does Sheridan represent?  He represents a district in Janesville, a place (sadly) of high unemployment and economic struggles. In this difficult time, he chose to go away to an out-of-state luxury resort.

Why not take a look at that ritzy place?

Here’s a photo of the resort he attended, at Sea Island, Georgia:

Lovely, isn’t it?

I’m quite sure that Georgia’s economy benefitted from Sheridan’s spending while at the resort.

Here’s the link to the website of The Clositers on Sea Island: http://www.seaisland.com/16/Home.htm

Finally, here’s a promotional video for Sea Island, Georgia:

Link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp7iHJ9u940

What can one say about all this?  I’d say that Sheridan is both selfish and vulgar.  He’s selfish to frolic at an expensive out-of-state southern resort while his Janesville district and Wisconsin struggle.

There’s more, though: Sheridan’s likely a vulgar and pretentious man, whose head is easily turned by mere things.  The promotional video reveals how the resort caters to unprincipled, easily-swayed, pretentious new men.  There’s something both funny and pathetic about the video’s declaration that “if you’re not a registered guest, a turnaround has been provided before the gate.”

Shameful and absurd — a low person’s idea of what it means to be high.  This is how an ill-raised person thinks, one who draws his identity from possessions and status in place of principle and service to those less fortunate.

Let’s be candid — The Cloisters can’t be truly exclusive if they’d let Sheridan stay over.  A junket here, a conference there, and suddenly the resort is filled with anything a cat could drag in.

Many a weak-minded politician, drunk with a bit of authority, betrays his constituents while whetting his vulgar appetites. Sheridan is merely our homegrown version of this contemptible sort.

Finally, a quick note for Speaker Sheridan — this is probably your last trip to The Cloisters, for more than one reason.  Turns out, the resort’s up for sale, and the new owners will likely be more discerning.  See, “Legendary Resort Placed on Blocks.”

Previously —

more >>

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 2-11-10

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Good morning,

Whitewater’s forecast calls for a sunny day with a high of twenty-three degrees.

The Wisconsin Historical Society recalls a regrettable moment in our state’s history:

1842 – Shooting in the Legislature

On this date the Territorial Legislature of Wisconsin met in Madison, only to be interrupted by the shooting of one member by another. The legislature was debating the appointment of Enos S. Baker for sheriff of Grant County when Charles Arndt made a sarcastic remark about Baker’s colleague, James Vineyard. After an uproar, adjournment was declared and when Arndt approached Vineyard’s desk, a fight broke out during which Vineyard drew his revolver and shot Arndt. [Source: Badger Saints and Sinners by Fred L. Holmes]

Anyone doubting the beauty of our part of the world, or wondering about wintertime activities in our area, need only read “Lake Geneva Winterfest, 2010” to see how beautiful life here truly is.

From the story —

“Egrets” by the Wisconsin team of Tom Queoff, Mike Martino and Mike Sponholz won the first-place award Saturday at the U.S. Snow Sculpting Championships in Lake Geneva. The winner is chosen by fellow competitors.

Second place and Gene Kempfer People’s Choice Award went to Team Michigan — Luke Dehtiar, Max Dethiar and Ryan Olszowy — for “If I Only Had a Brain.”

Third place went to another Team Wisconsin, with “Parenthood,” created by Jeff Shawhan, Brett Tomczak and Jim Malkowski.

Photographs and a video of the event are available online

Enjoy.

Press

Retracto the Correction Alpaca

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Over at BigJournalism.com there’s a pseudonymous columnist named Retracto the Correction Alpaca.

He submits retraction requests to newspapers and magazines when he believes that he’s spotted an error in a story. His columns are available online.

He’s become popular, and he even has his own theme song.

I don’t always agree with his analysis of a needed correction, but I admire his persistence. His column is part of a collection of websites from Andrew Breitbart. (Breitbart leans right; he espouses a small-government conservatism rather than libertarianism.)

How did this come about, that someone could go online, take a funny name, and demand retractions from major publications?

One might be tempted to say that technology made it possible, but there’s more to it than that. Before the technology, there was the desire and ambition to speak and write as one wished.

Now you know, and I know, that there are stuffy people, smug and stodgy, who deride these new ventures. I’m sure the odd names, and something like a theme song, must be off-putting.

I don’t always think that Retracto’s right, but I do think he’s doing the right thing. It’s not an easy or convenient thing, for him or for those from whom he requests retractions, but it is a good thing.

There’s an evident enthusiasm in Retracto that’s admirable. It’s not the (false) enthusiasm that one sees local officials feign, and their back-patting cronies imitate and publicize.

It’s the genuine article, and happily, America is likely to see much more of it.

City, Police

“Ultimately” Responsible

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I live and blog in a small rural town, of about fourteen thousand people, and one often imagines that such places are preserves of plain-speaking officials and straight-talking politicians. I suppose that many rural American towns are like that.

We’re not one of them.

Governance — official action first and foremost through law and legal tradition — has given way to Management. Not fine and serious management, but grandiose claims, excuse-making, and rationalization.

One may hear the words accountability and responsibility, but the vocabulary does not match bureaucratic conduct.

The making of excuses and distortions from bureaucrats in Whitewater, Wisconsin has become a cottage industry, publicly-funded. One need only search this website for an account of false and self-serving claims from Whitewater’s leaders.

There’s a telling sign elsewhere, though: on the City of Whitewater’s website, at the page offering a description of Whitewater’s police chief, Jim Coan.

Here’s the description:

Jim Coan was appointed Chief of Police for the City of Whitewater in 1992. He is ultimately responsible for the management, operation, and representation of the Whitewater Police Department and its employees. Chief Coan holds a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University and a Bachelors Degree from Northern Michigan University. Previous to his present position he served as a Captain with the Appleton, Wisconsin Police Department.

It’s odd, how the page describes Coan as “ultimately” responsible. It’s not how ordinary people speak — not how the sort of people who are, truly, plain speaking and straight talking would decribe
responsibility. They’d just say a police chief, city manager, etc. is responsible for something. They’d wisely describe responsibility this way: A captain is responsible for his ship, a shephered for his sheep, etc.

Truman didn’t say that the Buck Ultimately Stops Here. He would have been laughed at if he did. Ultimately, as though there were intermediate steps on which he could cast blame if something went wrong. The mention of intermediate steps would have, of course, undermined a plain and clear acceptance of responsibility.

One word wouldn’t matter, were it not a reflection of a long tenure of blame-shifting, excuse-making, and grandiose self-praise so typical of Coan’s leadership. The word’s a consequence, not a cause, of leadership at odds with the values that any town should embrace.

There are, I’d say, two other possibilities for the choice of the word, neither favorable to Coan or the city government he ill-serves. The first is that he’s trying to make himself even more important, by adding ‘ultimately,’ as though he sits at the top of a high ladder, stretching far into the clouds. I’d say this is a possibility, but none to Coan’s credit. (Quick note to Coan: Whatever your lofty self-opinion, it’s not you at the top of that ladder. Gn. 28:13.)

There’s a second possibilty: that Coan’s description says “ultimately responsible” because there’s some confusion in the city about authority between Coan, Whitewater’s Police & Fire Commission, and the Whitewater city manager. There’s no reasonable way that there could be confusion between these groups, but there might be a way in which there’s confusion among these three authorities, in this town. Embarrassing, but possible.

No matter the reason, the qualified description of Coan’s responsibility is a regrettable departure from the clear and plain traditions of a small American town.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for Whitewater, Wisconsin: 2-10-10

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Update, 7:45 AM: Date corrected to February (2) from December (12) – this year’s hardly started.

Good morning,

The forecast calls for a blustery day, with a high of twenty-four degrees.

In the City of Whitewater, there’s a Police & Fire Commission meeting tonight, at 7 PM. The agenda for the meeting is available online, and is reproduced below:

I. Call to Order, Roll Call
II. Approval of minutes of December 14, 2009
III. Citizen Comments
IV. Old Business – None
V. New Business

A. Review of Patrol Officer Interview Questions

B. Discussion of Chief Coan’s Advancement in the Mankato, MN Public Safety Director Hiring Process

C. Chief’s Report

1. Review of 2010 Management Plan

2. Personnel Update

a) Status of Probationary Officers

b) Status of Employees on Medical Leaves and Transitional Duty

VI. Adjournment

In Wisconsin history today, the Wisconsin Historical Society recalls that Wisconsin was once French, then English, before becoming — happily — American:

1763 – Treaty of Paris Cedes Wisconsin to England
On this date the Treaty of Paris ceded formerly French-controlled land, including the Wisconsin region, to England. [Source:Avalon Project at Yale University]