Former Fond du Lac County sheriff Gary Pucker says the issue over the deputy cards raised by the challenger in the sheriff’s race is a joke. Police detective Bill Ledger has tried to make the deputy cards an issue in his bid to unseat incumbent sheriff Mick Fink. Ledger is angry that Fink decided against issuing the cards to him and a couple of other police detectives after Ledger went on a Facebook rant following the district attorney race a couple of years ago. Pucker says when he was sheriff he viewed the cards as unnecessary and more of a nuisance. “They’re a warm, fuzzy feel-good thing and that’s about all they’re worth,” Pucker said. Pucker says he remembers becoming frustrated when some people would try to use their deputy cards to get out of speeding tickets when they were pulled over. “Other law enforcement agencies that would call and say sheriff we got somebody out here stopped on Highway 41 or 23 or whatever and they’re flashing this deputy card because they kind of don’t want to be arrested for speeding. My response was hold the deputy card, please return it to me and go about your business as you would with any other individual that you stop.” Pucker says the cards are a nuisance. “I see these deputy cards as casket fodder. Long after I pass away, they can hang these on the easel at my funeral and everybody can ooh and aah and say how important they thought I really was. That card is unnecessary, its not needed, and they become an abuse structure.” Pucker says the race between Fink and Ledger has many similarities to when he defeated former police chief Duane Johnson in a landslide several years ago. “Unfortunate, its very unfortunate when one department runs against another department because it causes division,” Pucker said. Pucker says Fink has done a great job as sheriff and, like him, learned from the ground up how to handle the largest law enforcement agency in the county.
