{"id":5303,"date":"2023-09-01T05:35:29","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T05:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=5303"},"modified":"2023-09-06T05:40:58","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T05:40:58","slug":"right-wing-sheriffs-group-spreads-controversial-ideology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=5303","title":{"rendered":"Right-Wing Sheriffs Group Spreads Controversial Ideology"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>by Stacy M. Brown<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A recent investigative report by the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/experiences\/howard-center\/\">Howard Center for Investigative Journalism<\/a>&nbsp;has shed light on the activities and influence of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Founded in 2011 by former Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack, the CSPOA advocates for elected sheriffs to defy federal laws they perceive as unconstitutional or unjust.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The group\u2019s teachings extend to opposing gun control laws, COVID-19 mandates, public health restrictions, and alleging election fraud.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the CSPOA has sought mainstream acceptance by securing state-approved taxpayer-funded law enforcement training, critics warn that its ideology could undermine democratic processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe sheriff is supposed to be protecting the public from evil,\u201d Dar Leaf, the chief law enforcement officer for Barry County, Michigan, told researchers during a break in the National Sheriffs\u2019 Association 2023 conference.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen your government is evil or out of line, that\u2019s what the sheriff is there for, protecting them from that,\u201d said Leaf, who sits on CSPOA\u2019s advisory board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He added the group teaches that elected sheriffs must \u201cprotect their citizens from the overreach of an out-of-control federal government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sheriffs accomplish that by refusing to enforce laws they believe are unconstitutional or unjust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;\u201cThe safest way to actually achieve that is to have local law enforcement understand that they have no obligation to enforce such laws,\u201d Mack told the researchers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re not laws at all anyway. If they\u2019re unjust laws, they are laws of tyranny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Training and Spread of Ideology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past five years, the CSPOA has organized training, rallies, speeches, and meetings in around 30 states, reaching law enforcement officers, political figures, private organizations, and the public.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 13 states, formal training on the group\u2019s \u201cconstitutional\u201d curriculum was conducted for law enforcement officers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Six of these states approved the training for officers\u2019 continuing education credits.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The CSPOA\u2019s efforts have found support from individuals sitting on state boards responsible for law enforcement training standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Controversy and Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Legal experts have raised concerns about the potential consequences of such training on democratic processes and the broader political landscape.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The CSPOA\u2019s curriculum heavily emphasizes the notion of sheriffs having the authority to interpret and refuse to enforce certain laws based on their constitutional interpretation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Critics argue that this approach undermines the rule of law and could lead to conflicts between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey have no authority, not under their state constitutions or implementing statutes to decide what\u2019s constitutional and what\u2019s not constitutional,\u201d Mary McCord, a former federal prosecutor and executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University, told the investigators.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what courts have the authority to do, not sheriffs,\u201d McCord added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s another sort of evil lurking there because CSPOA is now essentially part of a broader movement in the United States to think it\u2019s OK to use political violence if we disagree with some sort of government policy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Response and Impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While some states, such as Texas, have canceled credits for the CSPOA\u2019s training due to its perceived political content, other states, like Tennessee, have approved it, often citing its association with local law enforcement agencies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ideological reach of the group is evident as at least 69 sheriffs across the country have either been identified as members or publicly supported the CSPOA.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 2021 survey revealed that over 200 responding sheriffs agreed with the group\u2019s ideology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Transparency and Operation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The CSPOA\u2019s operations and financial details remain shrouded in secrecy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though it was briefly registered as a nonprofit organization, internal records indicate it now operates as a private company.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The group does not disclose its list of dues-paying members or specifics about its training programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-future-collaborations-and-concerns\"><strong>Future Collaborations and Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The investigative report highlights the CSPOA\u2019s plans to collaborate with other organizations, such as True the Vote, which challenges the legitimacy of elections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This raises concerns about potential conflicts from law enforcement officers embracing the CSPOA\u2019s ideological stance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While some states have embraced its training, others remain wary of its potential impact on democratic institutions and the rule of law.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The group\u2019s activities and influence underscore the ongoing debate surrounding law enforcement\u2019s role in upholding state and federal laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is kind of the tipping point,\u201d Jon Lewis, a research fellow at George Washington University\u2019s Program on Extremism, told researchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lewis described the group as \u201cinsidious\u201d and said it had become \u201cmainstream standard-bearers for entrance into more violent forms of extremism.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHundreds of sheriffs across the country have gained the trust of their locales and are now sitting in elected office,\u201d he asserted. \u201cTheir training booklets from CSPOA right next to them. And I think that\u2019s always going to be a pretty significant cause for concern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Source: Published without changes from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/right-wing-sheriffs-group-spreads-controversial-ideology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" title=\"\">Washington Informer Newspaper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Stacy M. Brown A recent investigative report by the&nbsp;Howard Center for Investigative Journalism&nbsp;has shed light on the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,48],"tags":[66,229,78],"class_list":["post-5303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regular-column","category-social-justice","tag-african-american","tag-law-enforcement-corruption","tag-racial-discrimination"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5303"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5305,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5303\/revisions\/5305"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}