We’ve all done stupid things in front of a camera or the public or our friends and family, but most of us are not sworn peace officers beholden to a higher moral standard.
Did you know, in Ellis County, population 152,750 residents, only 300 individuals, male and female, are even qualified to be peace officers, let alone sheriff? Naturally, those 300 individuals represent the public at large.
With that said, Sheriff Johnny Brown’s only public statements since MySpace photos were published on the Internet showing his criminal investigation division investigators, friends and co-workers engaging in homo-erotic poses and other debauchery came on another social networking site: Facebook.
Brown, a Republican nominated in an April 8 run-off last year and subsequently elected last fall over a write-in candidate, posted a "status message" on Glenn Heights Police Dept.’s Kevon Howard that stated: "Kevon, if [Ellis County Sheriff’s Office deputy] Daryl Spence is on your Facebook or any other group type activity be careful he will steal your pictures and post them with [former Ellis County Press news editor Joey Dauben] on the blog."
Yes, Brown’s first public statements on more than a dozen images of his deputies and their friends engaged in what would be classified as disorderly conduct - if not indecent exposure - for regular citizens - was a warning to another peace officer that his images could be used against him.
There is a perception at the ECSO that Brown does not have control of his own department. No one likes a micromanager, but Brown needs to show leadership and take the reins of the agency we elected him to oversee. Captains, chief deputies, deputies and CID investigators work underneath Brown, and should not be allowed to run roughshod over him.
Spence, who was recently fired because his supervisors told him to write an incident report for driving while intoxicated on two people whom he did not personally witness driving while intoxicated, is alleged by Brown’s supporters of being the one who sent folks the photos.
Even worse, when this paper tries to obtain information like in previous administrations, we did not get subjected to a systematic red-tape closed door policy like the one citizens elected last fall.
Our requests are increasingly making their way to the state Attorney General’s office for rulings despite scores of requests for information that are common knowledge public.
Sheriffs in Texas serve four-year terms. With all of the drama and controversy since Brown took over (and even before that), this freshman sheriff is going to have to take control of his men and his department.
