Washington Post breaks down Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr.'s pins, to Clarke's ire
Ever wondered what all the pins on Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr.’s uniform mean?
The Washington Post has it all figured out, with a breakdown of nearly two-dozen of the badges and medals that decorate the front of Clarke’s jacket.
The Post identified some decorations considered standard for Clarke’s job — like the four-star epaulets and his sheriff’s badge. But Clarke also wears an assortment of other insignia.
There’s the Harley-Davidson “sheriff” pin, the Post found. And the pin for the Israeli civil guard. A replica of a 19th-century U.S. Secret Service badge, next to a U.S. flag bar pin.
The Post’s investigation followed some controversy kicked up by a veteran, Charles Clymer, who took to attacking Clarke’s uniform on Twitter.
“Colin Powell once described a dress uniform as a soldier’s résumé,” Clymer tweeted. “You can tell what they’ve done by their ribbons and badges.”
Clarke, on the other hand, was “trying to pull a fast one on average Americans” by displaying decorations which suggest he has authority and experience, Clymer wrote.
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Some of Clarke’s pins gesture at his political leanings, like a baby’s feet pin representing the anti-abortion movement and a National Rifle Association pin.
Other pins the Post identified with some help from sharp-eyed readers include an FBI National Academy completion pin and “thin blue line” pins and ribbons signifying the job of police in society.
In a statement, Clarke labeled the Post’s analysis a “smear,” calling it the “height” of the “ridiculous narratives” of which Clarke is a subject.
“A better story would be to ask the accusers what evidence they have that I wear military medals on my law enforcement uniform,” Clarke wrote. “There is none. Then you should ask why they accused me of this after you tell them what the pins attached represent and ask if they want to apologize for slandering me.”
