Madness in Calhoun County

In response to: Anniston Star - Video shows sheriff using manual force but sheriff says it s not the whole story


Laws are not only in place to prevent parents from exercising this type of discipline on children, but to also prevent grown men from using unwarranted physical force on anyone. Whether or not the kid deserved that type of treatment, Sheriff Amerson had no right, reason, nor excuse to ever display that kind of force in that kind of situation.


In the strictly controlled environment that is the Calhoun County Jail, ask yourself if you would ever feel intimidated enough to lunge at a handcuffed teenager. Why would a sheriff with almost four decades in law enforcement feel intimidated or threatened?


For such a blatant disregard of rules at any workplace, immediate termination of the violator is typically the standard operating procedure. But this is a different story: we're talking public officials. It sounds like the time to “lawyer up” is upon us.


Lawsuits scare the pants off of anyone, but what will that solve in the end? No matter which side of the aisle you're on, Amerson or the anonymous whistle-blower would pay a lewd amount of money to someone else and the whole thing magically goes away—or would it?


Rational people usually use physical force against things they fear. Perhaps Amerson proves that; perhaps the growing number of “hoodlums” prove that. The only thing this video proves to me is that there doesn't seem to be too much rationality within the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office.


While this fierce online debate has raged, not one single comment has actually praised the fantastic work of our local law enforcement. Coming from my half-dozen experiences on both sides of the law, some members of the CCSD seem to be at least semi-rational and professional. I hope the intentions of the anonymous person that submitted this tape to the Anniston Star are of the rationality we should expect.


From the aspect of a taxpayer, I simply ask for a rational and professional sheriff to protect and serve my community. Irresponsibility is to be expected from a teenager—not from an elected official.


-MDS