The Wisconsin capitol police chief and his top deputy responsible for carrying out Gov. Scott Walker’s unconstitutional arrests of protesters both got double digit pay raises from the governor.
The Journal Sentinel reported:
Gov. Scott Walker’s administration rewarded the new hardline Capitol Police chief and his top deputy with double-digit pay raises earlier this year after moving the pair on paper to phantom jobs for two weeks and then back to their real posts.
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Chief Dave Erwin — who has overseen a crackdown on Walker protesters at the statehouse — received an overall salary hike of 11.7%, to $111,067 a year, the same rate as his predecessor. That amounts to an $11,680 annual raise.
That hefty raise was possible only because Walker officials transferred Erwin on Feb. 5 to a ghostposition in the state Department of Administration, according to a copy of the transfer letter obtained by the Journal Sentinel. Then, on the same day, he was shuffled back to his real job as head of the Capitol Police force.
Each of the moves, backdated to earlier in the fiscal year, came with a retroactive boost in pay for Erwin. Under state rules, the chief is a civil servant, not a political appointee.
This is confirmation of what has been long suspected. The Capitol Police are being used as Gov. Walker’s private militia in his battle against free speech, the constitution, and protesters. In total more than 200 people have now been arrested at the capitol for singing. Walker has ordered his police to show no mercy. The protesters that have been arrested have ranged in age from 14-80+. Remember, these people were arrested for singing in the capitol. They were exercising their constitutionally protected rights.
At least one police officer in the state has gone on record expressing his anger and disappointment with how his colleagues have acted. The officer was puzzled as to why the Capitol Police would waste time arresting 80 year old protesters when they could be out dealing with real crime.
I think we have our answer now. The situation in Wisconsin is much more corrupt than most people outside of the state could have possibility imagined. Scott Walker is firmly in control of the leadership of the Capitol Police force.
Constitutional rights are being obliterated in the state on a daily basis, so that Gov. Walker can silence his critics and further his delusional presidential ambitions head of 2016.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
