Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Sheriff forms "posse"

On Monday, August 24, Cal Skinner wrote about formation of a posse by McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren, featuring license plate brackets, window decals and lapel pins, which will identify contributors for his political campaign as members of his "posse." Read the article at http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/ Scroll down to Monday's article and graphics.

A good idea? Not hardly. And here's why.

Out in the wild, wild west a posse was a band of deputized citizens and/or deputies holding valid law enforcement powers. Sometimes, townsfolk were deputized for isolated purposes, such as hunting down a horse thief and searching for a missing person.

In other areas, posses were formal components of a sheriff's department, such as the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Posse, in Littleton, Colorado. Volunteer deputies in the Posse were trained and commissioned, and they held full-time commissions and concealed weapons permits. They were on-duty 24/7, just like the full-time, paid deputies. The only difference between the volunteers and the full-timers was the color of their uniform trousers and the lack of a paycheck every month.

Letting a person identify himself as a member of a sheriff's posse, based solely on a financial contribution to a sheriff's political campaign, is a terrible idea that could quite likely lead to abuse by someone with a license plate bracket or lapel pin. I can just hear it now: "I'm part of Sheriff Nygren's posse. Pull over, bud!"

This idea should be scrapped immediately. If it's not, then State law enforcement personnel should investigate the establishment of such a posse.

OK, so this is mostly a "city" area and not the wild, wild west. Maybe that explains the unwise decision. Just a lack of knowledge about the history of sheriffs' departments. Is that it?

9 comments:

tinfm said...

being in the "posse" means you won't get ticketed..simple as that

Gus said...

tinfm, you got that right! Sort of like buying a ticket to the policemen's ball or having a Lodge sticker in the back window or an LE license plate. What it should mean is, you get two tickets if you get stopped (but where would that deputy like to be employed after MCSD?).

Anonymous said...

Posse... honorary Deputy... what's the diff? I remember back in the hayday when Walter Payton got "deputized" and was allowed to carry a weapon. Because he was soooo well trained at handling firearms he nearly killed one of his employees at his Schaumburg restaurant when the gun "went off" and he wounded the person.
Gus- when ur Sheriff, please deputize me so I can apply to carry a Gauz Gun (mini-gun)... wak'em, stack'em, and pack'em... to all those parking and speeding scoflaws out there!!!!! YEEEEHAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

STFU said...

Posse? How does campaing trinkets become a posse? There you go again with the erroneous rhetoric. And those window stickers dont work. I'm pretty sure cops know that people put them there just hoping to get out of a ticket. At least say something that MIGHT be true once in awhile. If people put "Gus Philpot" bumper stickers on the car, are they in the Gus Philpot Posse? Not that anyone ever would but I'm making a point.

UR1096 said...

I can just hear it now: "I'm part of Sheriff Nygren's posse. Pull over, bud!"

Wow, this sounds like it is right up your alley. Maybe you should buy a plate for all the law breakers you see. You are amazing.

UR1096 said...

I can just hear it now: "I'm part of Sheriff Nygren's posse. Pull over, bud!"

Wow, this sounds like it is right up your alley. Maybe you should buy a plate for all the law breakers you see. You are amazing.

Gus said...

STFU, look again at the license plate bracket. It reads POSSE in bold letter. And the sheriff's name is under it.

Think somebody might try to talk himself out of a ticket by pointing that out to an officer. Think a deputy might think twice before he wrote a ticket to a campaign contributor, knowing that his "boss" is going to get a phone call and complaint about the deputy who made the stop? Hopefully, ALL the deputies will disregard such campaign contribution paraphernalia, but will they?

Unknown said...

Merriam-Webster lists 3 different definitions. The definition that YOU choose in your interpretation isn't even listed #1

Main Entry: pos·se
Pronunciation: \ˈpä-sē\
Function: noun
Etymology: Medieval Latin posse comitatus, literally, power or authority of the county
Date: 1645
1 : a large group often with a common interest
2 : a body of persons summoned by a sheriff to assist in preserving the public peace usually in an emergency
3 : a group of people temporarily organized to make a search

********************

Now, it seems to me that the number 1 definition would be a good description of a group of people wanting to elect a certain person as sheriff, no? 1: A large group often with a common interest.

But then you would not be able to post your indignant self serving rant if you used that definition, would you?

Zane said...

The only posse I know about these days are gangsters. The jamaicans, little asians, polish posse, players posse are some of the guys I know. From what I understand the Sheriff's Posse will fit right in with the gangsters. With or without bagdes, thugs are thugs. REPRESENT Y'ALL!!