Deputies' Badges Haven't Been Rounded Up (Security / Terrorism Alert!)

More than a year after the state's antiquated sheriff system was dismantled hundreds of the badges have gone uncollected, raising concerns they could be used to illegally enter public buildings, airports, nuclear plants and other sensitive facilities. For years, the star-shaped or oblong real or honorary badges have been given to the politically connected or anyone with enough inside knowledge to obtain them.

I am posting this story from the Courant for my dear friend 2Trievers, who is unavailable today.

This story is extremely unnerving from a security perspective. If Mr. Ridge is truly concerned about "Homeland Security", apparently he needs to investigate what is going on in Connecticut.

Best Regards, Ivan

Non-Connecticut residents need to understand what a Conecicut sheriff was. The system was done away with about 18 months ago but it originated in pre-revolutionary days. A Connecticut sheriff was essentially a patronage job. It paid no salary but sheriffs were allowed to collect fees for the delivery of legal papers and the movement of prisoners. These were their only actual responsibilities and they had no training for their jobs. They technically had arrest powers, carried guns, badges and drove cars with emergency lights. There were many stories about mishandled prisoners and gross overcharges for the serving of papers.

The story that broke the system was that the High-Sheriffs, who stood for election every four years and were supposedly responsible for the counties, were forcing kick-backs from the fees collected by the deputy sheriffs. The high-Sheriffs assigned the work so if the deputies didn't contribute, they didn't get work.

The whole system was a hideously antiquated throw-back that allowed for political patronage. It goes without saying that I never heard of a Republican High-Sheriff but I suppose there were a few.

That's bizarre. In Virginia, the sheriff is an elected LE official whose jurisdiction is the entire county outside city limits. The sheriff's system you've described as formerly being in place in Connecticut is rather odd, but still the thought of a state marshall's service instead of county sheriffs is rather strange sounding to me too.

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