Former Deputy wins law suite

[Evan]

Former Laramie County, Wyoming Sheriff's Deputy, Jake Hardin, has settled a law suite filed against Sheriff Roger Allsop. The settelment amount was withheld from public records.The amount that Sheriff Allsop has to pay will be paid out by the Wyoming Association of Risk Management insurance pool. Mr. Hardin filed the suite over alleged denial of due process, denial of free speech, breach of contract, retalitory discharge, and promissary estoppel. Mr. Hardin was hired as a deputy with the Sheriff's promise that if he started work in the jail, that after one year he (Mr. Hardin) would be transfered to patrol. Mr. Hardin was praised by the Sheriff for his work in the jail and in compleating his probtionary period. However, after the one year mark, the transfer never happened and Mr. Hardin was issued a memeo stating that he was released with out cause from duty, apparently for not passing his probatonary status. At the hearing, One sheriff's office employee, testified that the promise of a transfer was never given at the time of Mr. Hardins employment.
This is one reason why I would never go to work for a County Sheriff's Office anyware. That and the fact that most Deputies work "at the pleasure of the Sheriff" I.E. work one day, fired the next. I am a firm believer that the "old west" system of a elected, county Sheriff is now days way out of date and needs to replaced, just MHO.

[ateamer]

Depends what state you're in. In California, even though the Sheriff is elected, deputies have civil service protection, The Peace Officers' Bill of Rights and are not politically appointees. We do not serve at the leisure of the Sheriff and cannot be dismissed without cause, with the exception of probationary employees. Even still, there has to be some articulable, documented cause for terminating a probationary deputy.

One upside to having an elected Sheriff is that he doesn't answer to the County Board of Supervisors. Chiefs who answer to the City Council often have to kowtow to them and give special attention to individual Council members' pet projects. The Sheriff can tell the Board to pound sand when their whims don't jibe with the department's priorities. He serves the community as a whole and is less subject to the political vagaries inherent in an appointed office.

[CinaC]

It's not just "Old West" ... sheriffs out here (some of them, at least, don't know if all) are elected, not appointed. Don't know about the hiring procedures for deputies ...

[Evan]

True it all depends on what area and state that one is in. However, in Wyoming (my home state) all 23 county sheriff's are elected to 4 yr. terms and all deputies are appointed by the sheriff. The deputies have no civil service protection and NO unions/guilds. I have seen way too many good LEO's that were deputies get "released" and then black listed for hire at other agencies and then their good names get drug threw the sludge, etc,etc.etc. Wyoming's system is way outdated and too political. Only State officers and some of the larger city agency officers enjoy civil service and unions.

[Zamboni]

Its like that here in Idaho too. Makes me glad I work for a city with civil service protection. I've seen deputies get fired around here for trying to stay neutral around election time by not supporting either candidate. One refused to campaign for the current sherriff and was fired even though he had no ties to the opponent. He just wanted to stay out of the whole thing altogether.