Originally published at: How Sheriffs Define Law And Order For Their Counties Depends A Lot On Their Views—And Most Are White Republican Men - TPM – Talking Points Memo
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It was originally published at The Conversation. Many Americans will find on their November 2024 ballot a space to vote for an important office: local sheriff. While there are exceptions, sheriffs have a long history of using their power to maintain a particular,…
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They have a lot of brothers-in-law in the judiciary and the for-profit prison industry too, as well as a whole raft of family to sell furniture made in for-profit jails, and whole congregations to buy from certain Chosen companies.
The reason the South hasn’t turned a buck since slavery is they’re hanging off the same tit they have been since Reconstruction. A few get the power, and the cities and the other get the blame for the utter failure of their governance, using the same old tropes, 500 years and counting.
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There is a book, " A Calamity of Souls" a novel by David Baldacci about a black man accused of killing a wealthy white Virginia couple in 1968.
They say if you want to write a book and tell the truth call it fiction.
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The sheriff in question here is such a brave, strong snowflake that he limits who can comment on his FakeBook page.
He’s an idiot as are the people that support the fucker.
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We’ve got one of these assholes in Arizona’s Pinal county.
Paul Lamb. One of those moronic “constitutional sheriffs” who has never read the constitution, and doesn’t know that sheriffs and counties are never mentioned in it.
All hat. No sense. Ignorant AF.
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And who among us of a certain age can forget Bull Connor?
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AI Overview
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The constitutional sheriff movement is a far-right movement that originated in the 1970s and has gained prominence in recent years:
…
- Origins
The movement’s ideology is rooted in the county supremacy movement, which holds that counties should control all land within their borders and that the county sheriff is the ultimate law enforcement authority. Christian Identity minister William Potter Gale pioneered these ideas in the 1970s.
- Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA)
The most prominent group in the movement, CSPOA was founded in 2011 by former Arizona sheriff Richard Mack. Mack was a board member of the Oath Keepers militia, and the CSPOA has recruited hundreds of sheriffs through trainings and rallies.
- Current leadership
In 2022, Sam Bushman, a far-right podcaster, became the CEO of CSPOA after Mack stepped down. Bushman has been criticized for his ties to neo-Confederates and white nationalists.
- Connections to other far-right movements
The movement has ties to other far-right movements, including the Oath Keepers militia. The movement’s ideas share many similarities with the MAGA movement, including rural resentment, distrust of federal authorities, and a focus on guns.
- Legal scholars
Legal scholars say that the theory that the sheriff’s power supersedes the president’s has no basis in law.
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Do other countries have elected law enforcement? Maybe it once made sense since sheriffs had to be picked somehow, but in the 21st century, this seems nuts. Would it be so hard for county governments to pick professionals to run sheriffs departments?
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In addition, for many places the whole idea of a county law enforcement layered over the various municipal departments is out of date.
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this had nothing to do with black people. the SHERIF in VOLUSIA COUNTY, Florida,in wake of kids carrying guns to school, he has the kids arrested and mug shots…the whole 9 yards…telling parents, ‘if you don’t raise your children, i will’… no-one is protesting that attiude; perhaps we are all just tired of kids getting shot in school. whether the gun is fired by 12YR old or a 40 yr.old,the victim is still dead. oh, and our brilliant GOV., just signed an open carry gun into law.and demands we pay to protect a 78 7r.old man while he plays golf!
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TPM deserves applause for publishing this. Locally my constituents get the “violation of privacy” as a reason a constitutional sherrif around here defends his refusals to get automatic weapon owners registered as is spelled out in the current Illinois Crime Act. The weapons aficionados around here are taking to target practice within city limits. Absolutely intolerable. I’ve been thinking of the recent 18 yo high school graduates in my town who’ve arrived at their voting age belonging to a class in our society that’s been yanked into forever having, a Covid trump terrible education on one hand, and on the other having school shooter drills ever present in their young collective conscious. They’ve known no other way. Deplorable.
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