x-sender: governor.haley@sc.lmhostediq.com x-receiver: governor.haley@sc.lmhostediq.com Received: from mail pickup service by IQ12 with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Sat, 4 Oct 2014 00:31:17 -0400 thread-index: Ac/fjAnczAIMT718S5ujK8OIHcP9+w== Thread-Topic: Politics In Law Enforcement From: To: Subject: Politics In Law Enforcement Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2014 00:31:17 -0400 Message-ID: <88D52E353A8D4854AAF96B6F9416DA90@IQ12> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Microsoft CDO for Windows 2000 Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message Importance: normal Priority: normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.1.7601.17609 X-OriginalArrivalTime: 04 Oct 2014 04:31:17.0292 (UTC) FILETIME=[09FB66C0:01CFDF8C] CUSTOM Mr Scott J Smith 3049 Willow Swamp Rd Norway SC 29113 scott_smith_20@hotmail.com 803-596-2889 GOVE Politics In Law Enforcement To Governor Haley, My name is Scott Smith, I am a US Army Disabled Veteran, Served just over 3 years active duty Infantry in the 10th MOuntain Div. from 2002-2005 and then Army Reserves as military police. I served 2 tours in Iraq 2003-2004 then again in 2005. I moved to this state from PA in 2010 to pursue my dream of getting into law enforcment. I Worked as a deputy sheriff for just over 3 years for the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Office where I had excelled quick enough to get handpicked by my Capt at the time to get certified as a Field Training Officer when I myself had not even been out of the police academy for a full year yet. I was hand picked over other officers that had been at the agency much longer than me. I was sent to various other special training in drug interdiction at the police academy because of my performance while working as a patrol deputy. Also I made the SWAT Team at the sheriffs office then sent to The academy to get certified as a prescision marksman (sniper) for the SWAT team. Just last year in 2013 I was Terminated without giving me a reason why. I can only imagine that it was over politics involving a case where I was going to get a warrant on a campiaghn contributor to the sheriff and a close friend of the chief deputy Kenny Kinsey. I won't get into the details about that case because thats is not the reason for this letter. I have given up on Law enforcment because I hated how much politics plays in law enforcement in this state with no protection provided for the officers. I just can't have a job where I have to be worried about "stepping on the wrong toes" so to speak and can get terminated without cause and not even told why you were terminated. Also I believe letting politics in Law Enforcement Only leads to corrupption at agency's. This firend of the sheriff's in the case I was working had committed a crime but when I tried to enforce the law without prejudice and treating everyone the same regardless of their status in society I ended up getting fired for it. How Can Law Enforcement in this state be expected to enforce the laws when the pressure of politics is always getting in the way. I was wandering if there was something you can do to change that in this State, such as a new law regarding the old old wording that says a deputy works at the pleasure of the sheriff and can be terminated at anytime without cause. I know that wording is word for word but that is pretty much what it says. And I'm not suggesting unions either but maybe a state agency maybe ran by your office or conducted through SLED to make it available to officers terminated without cause and no reason given to appeal the termination like you would through a union so that officers can feel secure in their jobs and feel they can enforce the laws of this state to the letter like they should be without fear of loosing their jobs. I was lucky I was single when it happened to me. I couldn't imagine what it would of been like if I had a family to support and get called to come into work just to get handed a letter saying I was termintated. Thank you for your time Gov. Haley, Scott J Smith