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Sheriff Gives Himself a Ticket
Tuesday, April 10, 2007

(04-10) 09:16 PDT Green Bay, Wis. (AP) --


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


"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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