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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.
