Sheriff gives himself a ticket

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Brown County Sheriff Dennis Kocken didn't have to write himself a ticket. But he says it was the right thing to do.

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"As sheriff, I'm held to the highest standard in law enforcement. How can I hold officers accountable if I don't hold myself accountable?" he said. "I'm satisfied I'm doing the right thing."

Kocken issued himself a ticket March 27 for an unsafe lane change, three weeks after he had rear-ended a suspected speeder after that driver slowed to turn. Neither the deputy who completed the accident report nor the Brown County district attorney's office felt that Kocken deserved a citation.

"But it kept bothering me," said Kocken. "Finally I decided to write myself a ticket. I felt it was the right thing to do."

The ticket carries a $160.80 fine that Kocken said he fully intends to pay.

The 52-year-old sheriff told investigators he was trailing a vehicle to determine its speed when he had to swerve to avoid a snowblower wheel in his lane. He moved into the other driver's lane and hit the car when the driver slowed.

The ticket marks the second citation in seven months that a state law enforcement officer assessed to himself. In September, Chief Dick Knoebel of the Kewaskum police department wrote himself a $235 ticket for passing a stopped school bus.

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from: Source