Comment by samrus

15 hours ago

I kinda hate that it settled. I fully understand the plaintiffs not wanting to proceed, but i really wish the sheriff was actually punished for what he did. This sort of power tripping should be a fireable offence

10 comments

samrus

Reply
worik  15 hours ago

An elected officer. So punishment by ballot box?

  • simonw  15 hours ago

    That thing where law enforcement officers can be elected is such a weird American oddity.

    Most countries appoint law enforcement officers who are qualified for the job.

    We had a problem last year here in San Mateo County, California where our sheriff was corrupt but we had to pass a ballot measure because we couldn't just fire them: https://calmatters.org/justice/2025/10/san-mateo-sheriff-rem...

    • noitpmeder  14 hours ago

      Appointments are a whole other issue (see the extreme turnover in the American executive branch every 4 years). Id rather the head of my local police dept be significantly supported by the populating instead of an appointment from a governor, mayor, ... whose entire schtick can change on a dime.

      Independent elections are a good thing. Bundling offices together under a single election that appoints the rest of the world is terrible and only leans further into the two party see-saw that exists in the USA.

      I really wish for proportional representation. Not that it really applies to your local police force, but we need to break apart the complete A-or-B nature of American politics. Form coalitions, not monoliths that trade off earning 51% of the electorate every cycle that the completely repoints the entirety of the govt for the next 4 years.

    • wrs  15 hours ago

      On the other hand, look at our current appointed DoJ and FBI leadership. No solution is foolproof.

    • toast0  15 hours ago

      In larger counties, the elected Sherrif is usually more managerial and less hands on. If not elected directly, the Sherrif would likely be chosen by the elected County Board of Supervisors. Which I guess gives you more ability to fire, but also means more indirection from the will of the people.