I spent most of my adult life in a state where off-duty political activity by law enforcement officers was expressly protected by law . Deputies ran against sitting sheriffs in every election cycle and nothing much happened besides everyone going back to work on Wednesday, so I figured that was normal, a simple part of any citizen’s civil rights. I’d heard of places where deputies got fired or demoted for challenging an incumbent sheriff — even places where new sheriffs swept the entire office and required deputies to reapply — so when a friend sent me a link about one such drama playing out in Alabama, I took a closer look. It’s a local story but it illustrates national variations in law, culture and the politics of elected law enforcement — variations that often determine who is even allowed to run.. Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones joined the sheriff’s office more than 50 years ago, and he’s been the sheriff for 27 of them . He ran unopposed except for his first campaign (with the endorsement of the retiring sheriff), and one other time against a local libertarian candidate. He is well-spoken, well-educated and a former adjunct professor of criminal justice. A deputy told him he int
