I think ANY time corrupt/dirty/abusive cops are caught, they need to be held accountable to a higher degree than your ordinary citizen. As you said, Steve, if you're paid to enforce it, you should be held to it - to the letter.
MyB: That makes no sense. There is no such thing as "More accountable". Being held accountable is a Yes/No situation. Study up on your vocabulary for a different word.
Right, if say a UK Prime Minister, who created the COVID restrictions, was found to be breaking those very restrictions, Well, obviously an apology is good enough!
@@silver6054 It’s kind of weird, because breaking a restriction isn’t breaking a law. In the UK and US people weren’t arrested for breaking restrictions. The few that were arrested were arrested for trespassing, harassment, and all sorts of other things people didn’t want to told what to do would do. You know, the same people who say that black people, who didn’t break a law, should’ve just submitted or stopped and provided information when strangers or police questioned them.
@@bdhu2001 Well in the UK those breaking COVID restrictions were fined because they WERE breaking the law. Now some might disagree with the law, and think that civil disobedience etc is the correct response, but they were breaking the law.
I'm surprised they investigated this, could you imagine making a complaint to the FBI and them taking it seriously. I'm glad the sheriff was charged but there had to be other factors causing the FBI to actually investigate.
If one swears an oath to "defend the Constitution ", or, "to "enforce the law to the best of my knowledge and ability" one should be held to a higher standard.
@@metamorphicorder Yeah, the standards good enough, if enforced,but it's not. I figure politicians come up with so many bs laws, why not another. The other thing is, "If not enough people meet the standards, just lower the standards".
You know why he did all this? Because he thought he could get away with it. You know why he thought that? Because most of the time this stuff does go unpunished.
It's because of the obvious lack of checks. no one was obove him scrutinizing his bills and work. that is just asking for at least little bit of corruption... like corruption way above stealing Office supply from work...
Where I'm from a committee of community representatives will show up at your house around dinnertime and *politely* yet _firmly_ inform you that your life and livelihood depend very much upon you choosing to act better.
Note : his charges stem from stealing money from government funds which will not be tolerated. However under civil forfeiture he could steal money from the public with complete impunity.
@@silentvoiceinthedark5665 why do you think he to the cops off the drug stakeouts? It was bc they didn't need they drugs until after the party barn was finished.
Although I get your point, there is a distinction though, between him using CF, versus outright stealing. He uses a 'legal', but despicable law, to seize money, but receives a kickback. Whereas, he was outright stealing - theft.
Being a lawyer, police officer, judge, politician and any other person of responsibility needs to be an aggravating factor in their trial and sentencing.
We had a dirty officer get tried by the feds and he did the time. The sheriff is a politician and was corrupt on a whole different level beyond direct citizen contacts. There is no place in my profession for this kind of activity. It's hard enough to build trust with the community without stuff like this going on.
The courts are anal about enforcing due process rights. And they don’t like it when officers of the court don’t enforce them. The sheriff probably would have got away with the embezzlement if he hadn’t done that
You are so correct. If the cops can’t respect the laws, then they should spend more time. Like the cops driving while drunk. This is one of the reasons I don’t respect cops.
It's odd. A lot of people seem to think that stories about police going to jail reduces trust because it entails hearing about police misconduct... but no one ever expected police to behave perfectly, the problem is that when they aren't punished for it the misconduct proliferates. The misconduct is all over the place anyways, even if you don't hear about it. So hearing stories like this is actuality the only thing that increases my trust, albeit just a drop into a huge deficit.
There's a TH-cam video showing the incident of the Sheriff ordering a deputy to taser a man. The tasering was overtly retaliatory and punitive and without justification. People that betray the public trust and/or their oath must be held to a higher standard and must receive punishment reflecting that betrayal.
> Sheriff does corrupt things "dishonors the badge and office" > Sheriff is charged and convicted of said crimes > Sheriff is sentenced to 5 years in prison *6 years later* > Former disgraced sheriff runs and wins for County Sheriff. > Cycle continues 🤦♂️
I know of a Managing Director of a Company that was 'quietly retired' when eventually someone had the guts to stand up to the fact that he had a large House built by abusing the Company Purchasing and literally requiring staff to leave the company during the day to lay bricks and build the house. It was a high-tech engineering company so things like bricks, tiles, windows, etc were blatantly inappropriate to be costed to the Company and many staff were very annoyed to be bullied into doing construction work ... In order to keep the matter under wraps, the MD got to keep the House, but strict financial controls were put into place to prevent such a fiasco recurring ... No doubt he got to keep his pension also. His view was that he ran the Company and it was his personal fiefdom. Making a big public issue of the situation would have further damaged the Company, hence it was covered up ...
There's a law enforcement conference called LETI where the entire time, all of the police officers from around the country get absolutely shit-faced drunk and laugh about how their departments pay for the vacation. When they're supposed to be going to classes all day they're actually getting annihilated hammered, taking off their wedding rings and, well, you know
@@wvwoman3193 true. Most conferences are that way. But there's a different expectation of what public officials are expected to do when paid, by tax dollars, to be learning better public safety, such as needing to be sober, clear minded, and not hung over when learning classes such as Mental Health Crisis de-escalation, verbal judo, officer intervention with other officers, etc.
I can attest to this. We did work at multiple Indian Casino's during the crash of 2008 and seven years after, until I retired. I will never forget the day we discovered the back parking lot, where State, County and a few municipal cop cars, from all over the state, were parked in Indian Country, where they have no jurisdiction. When I asked the general manager of the Casino what all the cop cars were about, he answered the State contracts with the Casino for their meeting room and a dozen hotel rooms, for their "in service" continuing education programs. And, he laughed, they are in the Casino every night until midnight, if not later. Gee..... Why would the State of Washington contract with a casino, for a remote location, miles away from an airport, where the cops must drive from 300 miles away, and not the airport Ramada or Day's Inn??? Geee, is it really about education?
@@chuckhaugan4970 Most run of the mill hotels don't have the facilities for a sizeable conference. Casinos on the other hand often host large events such as conferences, concerts, etc.
@@karlrovey LMAO!!! BS. I'm talking about the State of Washington and a gathering of less than 30 people for classroom instruction. I named two, so off the top of my head, here's more: Seattle Convention Center, the Double Tree, any university of college, any high school, any middle school, the Hilton, the Radisson, West Coastal, City of Tacoma municipal building, City of Spokane convention center, King County administration office in Bellevue, Any community college auditorium, and I could type on and on for hours. And, this is without a simple web search.
Some of these conferences are in Vegas because you could often get the best deals on rooms and airfare. A long time ago, I worked with someone that set up conferences. They could get the best deals on a set budget, easily reserve blocks of rooms, and people would want to attend conferences in Vegas. Conferences for large organizations have to be in cities with a major airport and hotel rooms have to be in the per diem rate. Just about any city has direct flights to Vegas. I'm not going to pretend that a lot of people treat a Vegas conference like a vacation, but having conferences there, logistically, make sense.
In New Mexico, The last TWO Rio Arriba County Sheriffs have been convicted. It is a sad situation when law enforcement leaders can't comply with the law
I believe I've mentioned it before on Steve's channel, in Idaho in our County 4 elected sheriffs have either gone to prison or jail in the last 20 years. The last one wasn't convicted of a crime but the state's police Union voted him with no confidence. So that's within his own people not the public. That pretty much says everything doesn't it? Our County has had an ongoing feud for a half a century between an elected sheriff and an elected prosecutor. They don't speak with each other they don't communicate at all except for official correspondence. I can tell you this is a soup for disaster of law enforcement and court system for the community. I'm speaking first hand, it's a mess.
When a sherriff gets a no confidence vote by his own people it normally(as in almost always without exception) means he is trying to clean up the corruption.
@@zappyeats2579 maybe that's what you're saying to yourself and maybe you have convinced yourself of that. Maybe in some circumstances a sheriff really is trying to stop the corruption instead of adding to it. In this particular instance I'm talking about a state police Union vote of no confidence. The 30 or 40 deputies in the local Department that belong to that Union that may or may not have voted no confidence has no or little bearing on the statewide no confidence vote. Guaranteed, once the media got wind of this he was voted out at the end of his term, or must I say lost the next election to be politically correct. In short a statewide no confidence vote from the police Union means you're going out. What it doesn't mean is that you're trying to clean up your department, although they may be trying to do just that. Maybe not, but you can't speculate on some subjective unknown issue.
It’s better than a collaborative corruption system and no transparency otherwise you would know nothing if you ask your a conspiracy nut job dark murders rape you name it in the name of legal law totalitarian government
As far as I'm concerned, when members of Government or Law Enforcement break the Law and get caught, they should be automatically slapped with Double the Maximum Penalty for that infraction with no chance for Parole in the case of Prison Time...
1 It's ironic that officers can steal money from motorists legally (civil asset forfeiture) but get sent to prison for stealing money from the government. 2 Stun gun attack. The sheriff had the deputy repeatedly stun the prisoner after he was on the floor and was no longer resisting.
They can't put someone in prison for bad debt in this country until it meets the criteria of fraud. But the government doesn't even have to prove anything. Just make an accusation and initiate prosecution. You have no protection unless you owe the INFERNAL REVENUE DISSERVICE more than $10,000. In the case of civil asset, you have none. Hire a lawyer for more than you owe/lost and hope for the best. Corrupt officials know this and use it to their benefit constantly. They are taught by the system they foster
ok long story short, I grew up in Howell Mi, My dad the the Livingston county undersherrif, and to tell the truth he was the most corrupt and all his officers there were too, he stole a 22 single shot rifle from the evidence room and gave it as a birthday present to me when I was 12 , he would tell me stories of when they would beat up people for no reason and how honest all his friends were and later in life all his friends were caught stealing and doing mafia sort of stuff and they got caught, what a hard time i had when I finally realized just how bad he was.
Better late than never. And that you have opened your eyes to the reality of things. Most people who are related to a law enforcement officer will do all manner of mental gymnastics in their head trying to make it palatable for themselves to believe that their loved ones are "heroes". Kudos to you for seeing things for what they are.
The best part is that he brought this all on himself by being a Tyrant and locking a citizen up for 3 days. He brought all of this attention on himself.
Okay, Question Steve, is this Sheriff still getting his pension? In our county we had a similar “incident”. The sheriff was arrested, tried, convicted, sentenced, and sent to prison. He “retired” when arrested and started collecting his pension, even in prison....
It seems a bit stern compared to police/prosecutors/judges that falsify evidence or intentionally cause someone to be convicted of a crime that they didn't commit. It seems like they should do big time compared to this guy.
I agree they should be punished more harshly.. Commercial truck drivers who have a CDL suffer harsher penalties then normal drivers for the same infractions. Because the CDL owners are considered professional drivers. Law enforcement should be considered professionals as well concerning, knowledge of the law. Using there power to abuse authority should require at least a 25% increase in time and fines.
Every conviction and non-prosecution during these people's time in authority needs to be looked at through a microscope to verify that there have not been other cases of criminality by the Department ... !!! For this reason exemplary punishment should be mandated for those in law enforcement who are convicted of abusing that position ...
Lehtos I really enjoy your program I don’t really know allot about laws but you explain everything so well I just happened to come across your program a while ago maybe a couple years ago I thought who is this guy sitting and talking in his gerage and I just began to listen and I was hooked thank you for all the knowledge you share
A lavish, over the top conference brought down the Wounded Warrior Project. As a Veteran I was donor until then. So much-needed oversight should be applied to these "charities ". It's truly sad where the money goes.....
I would like to point out that while I don't know the exact details for such charities a lot that you think is paid by the charities is donated or at cost the reason is tax write off and some people who donate space, accommodations, food tend to people who donated money in this case probably veterans. You can always request a freedom of information act for costs and where money donated is spent.
@@johnree6106 the " details" are easily found, they were all over the news WWP are still licking those wounds and trying to get back standing. Also, any of these charities can be looked up and a person can see where the money goes. Salaries, overhead, advertising, but, most important ...the actual percentage that goes to the cause they are promoting...
@@johnree6106 charities, by IRS definition, only have charitable contributions. So ANYTHING paid by the charity is coming out of contributions. If an airlines says "we will donate two First-Class tickets", the charity could counter with " two economy tickets, and balance in cash contributions". "Free Money" from the OPM drives most folk to greed. (OPM -- Other People's Money)
Ahhh, I always make sure my conferences are in Bali, Hawaii or Cancun especially when someone else is paying. The sheriff always waits for a big civil forfeiture though.
Allen County Ohio, the sheriff was found guilty of extortion and soliciting bribes. Sentenced to 136 months in federal prison and $606,221 restitution, back in 2019.
The Prosecutor should have a feild day stacking approx. 90 charges against him and all deputies. in the dept. State Prison for 10 years no Parole. I submit that EVERY SINGLE sheriff and chief of police DOES THIS AND IN AN ONGOING METHOD.
Two really big cyber security conferences, BlackHat and DefCon, both occur in Las Vegas. I wouldn't even raise an eyebrow if a police officer chose to attend BlackHat.
When I made the decision to move from Michigan I had North Carolina and Arizona as the prime states to pick from. I picked Arizona, because of the low humidity. Glad I did, but I do like North Carolina as a place to visit and tour on my motorcycle. Been there a few times and always liked it. Arizona if just a notch better. Must be abut 5000 feet up to escape the heat and all will be fine. The Ozarks in Arkansas are also nice. That was on my list too. Again, too humid.
Here's a little nugget I read from "The Herald" a Rock Hill, SC newspaper and website while reading up on this story: "Since 2010, 13 sheriffs in South Carolina’s 46 counties have been convicted of state and federal crimes." Yikes.
"Who will Guard the Guardians". It's an old phrase, translated from the Latin "quis custodiet ipsos custodes", which shows that the ancient Romans had similar problems. Thanks for quoting it, Steve.
What isn’t talked about, but I feel is very important, is the need to have citizens trust the Police and Judiciary, without that Trust, the system must fail. All that it takes is for good people to do nothing.
I find it ironic that this sheriff is going to jail, deservedly, for the kind of shenanigans that our "representatives" perpetrate on a regular basis, without consequence.
Being a retired law enforcement officer and Chief of an agency, I whole heartedly agree that law enforcement should be held to a higher standard and should receive much stiffer punishments. A position of honor and trust, that has the power to take away liberty, that has a duty to protect the public, cannot be held to the standard of an "every day" criminal... they should receive a significant amount more. FYI, I never went to a conference in Hawaii and hated the one conference I went to in Vegas (not the conference, just Vegas). We were required to go to training within the state unless there was no other option and the training was required. Fortunately I worked in California because I loved going to training in San Diego! 🤣
This kind of corruption is everywhere to some degree. Law enforcement budget and expenditures should be published in detail every year in every jurisdiction for public review.
My dad was a physician(‘50’s, ‘60’s &’70’s) and various medical societies would have “conferences” where different subjects were covered in different countries. Hawaii was a favorite. He and my mother attended a few.
Underwood is one of 13 sheriffs in South Carolina’s 46 counties convicted of crimes since 2010. Five of the 12 sentenced before Underwood have received prison time.
Other cops always say the same thing when one of their own gets busted "You haven't heard the whole story yet, then you will see they should not be punished."
Get the corrupt politicians and this guy that’s in the White House thinks he’s president in jail … The sentence should double or triple when it involves politicians or any elected official especially if they’re a police officer
welcome to SC. All public safety must be held to a higher standard. what else has been done and not discovered? all involved who did not report this are guilty.
Steve, in case you're wondering a party barn is essentially a mini bar built on private land and it usually looks like a barn. And yes, I do mean a mini bar--my cousin's has a bar with a set of taps for beer and a few tables laid out for friends to use. Also has a small stage for musicians to play. His could hold about 40 people.
My husband & I are born & raised North Carolinians & we totally agree w/ you; North Carolina IS awesome, lol! We live somewhere with-in the Raleigh, Sanford, Fort Bragg triangle! 🤪 But heck yeah, come on down!! I promise you, we have the BEST BBQ (Pulled pork) and sweet tea you’ll ever find!! ☺️ Haha.
I've gone to LV for a union training seminar. I personally spent most of my time in seminars. When the seminars broke for the day, I went to my room watched television, sat at the pool and went to the restaurants in the hotel at The Golden Nugget
This country has gone mad when a cop can't build a party barn on taxpayers time, or arrest folks just because they want to. What's next, expecting them to perform their duties in a professional manner? LOL
Law Enforcement enforce the laws and do not make up laws that are not in the books. If they make up laws they need to be admonished in a Court of Law and charged with uttering false statements with dismissal and their Law Enforcement credentials revoked. Picture, prints and DNA filed as UNSUITABLE in Law Enforcement.
should get at least 10 years. Any cop that abuses his authority, regaurdless of the crime should face minimum 10 years per count. to be run consecutively with no possibility of reduction for "good time" etc.. the potential punishment has to be so extreme, that the temptation to abuse is repugnant to them.
As a proud North Carolinian, we would be proud to have u move to our state. As it seems everyone else is moving here also from the northern states. U cant beet mountains 3 hrs to the west from the middle, and the crystal coast 2.5 hrs to the east from the middle. Go North kakalakie :)
Google to the rescue: "Party barns are multi-use structures that can host large events like weddings and live shows or serve as a casual backyard hangout, replete with a game room and/or your own private taproom."
Before even watching the video, the title alone sounds like the opening to the Jack Reacher sequel. In any case, his stay in prison should go beyond 3 decades.
![fellow fellow - พรุ่งนี้ไม่มีใครรู้ feat. INK WARUNTORN [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QP6JyjYx_W0/mqdefault.jpg)
I think ANY time corrupt/dirty/abusive cops are caught, they need to be held accountable to a higher degree than your ordinary citizen. As you said, Steve, if you're paid to enforce it, you should be held to it - to the letter.
I agree. Just like traffic tickets in the construction zone. Twice the penalty that a civilian would get.
Absolutely!
@@lukeskywalker2116 Good idea. At least twice.
MyB: That makes no sense. There is no such thing as "More accountable". Being held accountable is a Yes/No situation. Study up on your vocabulary for a different word.
@@KB4QAA Actually "accountable to a higher degree" is the same as "more accountable". Tomatoes/Toma'toes. No word police allowed here.
I love that a corrupt sheriff was arrested, I only wish this would apply to corrupt politicians & bureaucrats.
Right, if say a UK Prime Minister, who created the COVID restrictions, was found to be breaking those very restrictions, Well, obviously an apology is good enough!
Me too! God let the corrupt be exposed and held accountable. (DC would look like a ghost town)
@@silver6054 but won't resign
@@silver6054 It’s kind of weird, because breaking a restriction isn’t breaking a law. In the UK and US people weren’t arrested for breaking restrictions. The few that were arrested were arrested for trespassing, harassment, and all sorts of other things people didn’t want to told what to do would do. You know, the same people who say that black people, who didn’t break a law, should’ve just submitted or stopped and provided information when strangers or police questioned them.
@@bdhu2001 Well in the UK those breaking COVID restrictions were fined because they WERE breaking the law. Now some might disagree with the law, and think that civil disobedience etc is the correct response, but they were breaking the law.
Well I for one am so shocked! That he got caught that is.
shocked that he is actually serving time
I'm surprised they investigated this, could you imagine making a complaint to the FBI and them taking it seriously. I'm glad the sheriff was charged but there had to be other factors causing the FBI to actually investigate.
Shocked you say!
@@ChuckWood actually
I knew a sheriff warden and elected official who were in federal prison camp at the same time. This was in the mid 90s.
If one swears an oath to "defend the Constitution ", or, "to "enforce the law to the best of my knowledge and ability" one should be held to a higher standard.
Nope. That standard is good enough. Thats why we came up with it. But they arent even held to that.
@@metamorphicorder Yeah, the standards good enough, if enforced,but it's not. I figure politicians come up with so many bs laws, why not another. The other thing is, "If not enough people meet the standards, just lower the standards".
You know why he did all this? Because he thought he could get away with it. You know why he thought that? Because most of the time this stuff does go unpunished.
Exactly.
It's because of the obvious lack of checks. no one was obove him scrutinizing his bills and work.
that is just asking for at least little bit of corruption... like corruption way above stealing Office supply from work...
That blue line onc set of rules for them and another set for us.
Where I'm from a committee of community representatives will show up at your house around dinnertime and *politely* yet _firmly_ inform you that your life and livelihood depend very much upon you choosing to act better.
@@Sue_Me_Too Every house needs to have a roof.
So when a Sheriff steals from a citizen, it's Civil Asset Forfeiture, when a Sheriff steals from the government he goes to jail.
Well, someone saw the Truth..
🤣
Note : his charges stem from stealing money from government funds which will not be tolerated.
However under civil forfeiture he could steal money from the public with complete impunity.
And might I add that he could build a party barn and furnish it with a daiquiri machine no questions asked with the money stolen from the public
Indeed!
@@silentvoiceinthedark5665 why do you think he to the cops off the drug stakeouts? It was bc they didn't need they drugs until after the party barn was finished.
Ba hahahaha! Yep
Although I get your point, there is a distinction though, between him using CF, versus outright stealing. He uses a 'legal', but despicable law, to seize money, but receives a kickback. Whereas, he was outright stealing - theft.
Being a lawyer, police officer, judge, politician and any other person of responsibility needs to be an aggravating factor in their trial and sentencing.
Yes, one is in a position of “profit & power” should have the book thrown at them
Yes. Just like how a DA can add gang enhancements or use of a gun during a robbery.
Only thing that surprises me about this is he actually got charged for it. I'd be highly surprised if he has to actually serve the time he owes.
Too true. Lets hope that he does.
It’s federal so he will serve.
He will do 85% of whatever the sentence is.
We had a dirty officer get tried by the feds and he did the time. The sheriff is a politician and was corrupt on a whole different level beyond direct citizen contacts. There is no place in my profession for this kind of activity. It's hard enough to build trust with the community without stuff like this going on.
The courts are anal about enforcing due process rights. And they don’t like it when officers of the court don’t enforce them. The sheriff probably would have got away with the embezzlement if he hadn’t done that
You are so correct. If the cops can’t respect the laws, then they should spend more time. Like the cops driving while drunk. This is one of the reasons I don’t respect cops.
It should be a law that if your a LEO you should get double fines and time if you're convicted of breaking the laws your supposed to enforce.
As well as Disbarment on the spot
It's odd. A lot of people seem to think that stories about police going to jail reduces trust because it entails hearing about police misconduct... but no one ever expected police to behave perfectly, the problem is that when they aren't punished for it the misconduct proliferates. The misconduct is all over the place anyways, even if you don't hear about it. So hearing stories like this is actuality the only thing that increases my trust, albeit just a drop into a huge deficit.
Very insightful comment.
I agree. Thanks for this.
This is really hard to believe, that he was caught and charged much less convicted.
Best comment 👌 I don't believe it......we need police reform and accountability nationwide
There's a TH-cam video showing the incident of the Sheriff ordering a deputy to taser a man. The tasering was overtly retaliatory and punitive and without justification.
People that betray the public trust and/or their oath must be held to a higher standard and must receive punishment reflecting that betrayal.
I'd argue that it's seditious subversion as it harms the public trust in the state.
> Sheriff does corrupt things "dishonors the badge and office"
> Sheriff is charged and convicted of said crimes
> Sheriff is sentenced to 5 years in prison
*6 years later*
> Former disgraced sheriff runs and wins for County Sheriff.
> Cycle continues 🤦♂️
Remember Marion Barry, Mayor of D.C.? "The b____ch set me up." Reelected after convicted for cocaine possession.
@@suburban404 Yeah, I was gonna mention that.
Except as a felon he won't be armed.
I know of a Managing Director of a Company that was 'quietly retired' when eventually someone had the guts to stand up to the fact that he had a large House built by abusing the Company Purchasing and literally requiring staff to leave the company during the day to lay bricks and build the house. It was a high-tech engineering company so things like bricks, tiles, windows, etc were blatantly inappropriate to be costed to the Company and many staff were very annoyed to be bullied into doing construction work ...
In order to keep the matter under wraps, the MD got to keep the House, but strict financial controls were put into place to prevent such a fiasco recurring ... No doubt he got to keep his pension also.
His view was that he ran the Company and it was his personal fiefdom. Making a big public issue of the situation would have further damaged the Company, hence it was covered up ...
There's a law enforcement conference called LETI where the entire time, all of the police officers from around the country get absolutely shit-faced drunk and laugh about how their departments pay for the vacation. When they're supposed to be going to classes all day they're actually getting annihilated hammered, taking off their wedding rings and, well, you know
That is alot of professions, especially in government. I worked catering for a conference center.
@@wvwoman3193 true. Most conferences are that way. But there's a different expectation of what public officials are expected to do when paid, by tax dollars, to be learning better public safety, such as needing to be sober, clear minded, and not hung over when learning classes such as Mental Health Crisis de-escalation, verbal judo, officer intervention with other officers, etc.
I can attest to this. We did work at multiple Indian Casino's during the crash of 2008 and seven years after, until I retired. I will never forget the day we discovered the back parking lot, where State, County and a few municipal cop cars, from all over the state, were parked in Indian Country, where they have no jurisdiction. When I asked the general manager of the Casino what all the cop cars were about, he answered the State contracts with the Casino for their meeting room and a dozen hotel rooms, for their "in service" continuing education programs. And, he laughed, they are in the Casino every night until midnight, if not later.
Gee..... Why would the State of Washington contract with a casino, for a remote location, miles away from an airport, where the cops must drive from 300 miles away, and not the airport Ramada or Day's Inn??? Geee, is it really about education?
@@chuckhaugan4970 Most run of the mill hotels don't have the facilities for a sizeable conference. Casinos on the other hand often host large events such as conferences, concerts, etc.
@@karlrovey LMAO!!! BS. I'm talking about the State of Washington and a gathering of less than 30 people for classroom instruction. I named two, so off the top of my head, here's more: Seattle Convention Center, the Double Tree, any university of college, any high school, any middle school, the Hilton, the Radisson, West Coastal, City of Tacoma municipal building, City of Spokane convention center, King County administration office in Bellevue, Any community college auditorium, and I could type on and on for hours. And, this is without a simple web search.
Some of these conferences are in Vegas because you could often get the best deals on rooms and airfare. A long time ago, I worked with someone that set up conferences. They could get the best deals on a set budget, easily reserve blocks of rooms, and people would want to attend conferences in Vegas. Conferences for large organizations have to be in cities with a major airport and hotel rooms have to be in the per diem rate. Just about any city has direct flights to Vegas. I'm not going to pretend that a lot of people treat a Vegas conference like a vacation, but having conferences there, logistically, make sense.
@T.J. Kong Absolutely, people go to these things to network, otherwise they could just read about the topics.
@T.J. Kong who wants to do that in the sweltering heat of the Mojave?
I glad you pointed out that places like Vegas tend to make it actually cheaper to hold conferences by getting deals on pricing.
It makes sense, when you put it that way.
@@maybeiam3367 My aches and pains love the heat. But controlled with AC. I doubt they hold the meetings and serve meals outdoors under the sun.
In New Mexico, The last TWO Rio Arriba County Sheriffs have been convicted. It is a sad situation when law enforcement leaders can't comply with the law
Anyone who has had their bones and teeth broken for being jailed for a made up reason might find this story worthy of a spot on 60 minutes. Lol
I believe I've mentioned it before on Steve's channel, in Idaho in our County 4 elected sheriffs have either gone to prison or jail in the last 20 years. The last one wasn't convicted of a crime but the state's police Union voted him with no confidence. So that's within his own people not the public. That pretty much says everything doesn't it?
Our County has had an ongoing feud for a half a century between an elected sheriff and an elected prosecutor. They don't speak with each other they don't communicate at all except for official correspondence. I can tell you this is a soup for disaster of law enforcement and court system for the community. I'm speaking first hand, it's a mess.
Pretty sad state for the citizens of the County.
When a sherriff gets a no confidence vote by his own people it normally(as in almost always without exception) means he is trying to clean up the corruption.
@@zappyeats2579 maybe that's what you're saying to yourself and maybe you have convinced yourself of that. Maybe in some circumstances a sheriff really is trying to stop the corruption instead of adding to it. In this particular instance I'm talking about a state police Union vote of no confidence. The 30 or 40 deputies in the local Department that belong to that Union that may or may not have voted no confidence has no or little bearing on the statewide no confidence vote. Guaranteed, once the media got wind of this he was voted out at the end of his term, or must I say lost the next election to be politically correct. In short a statewide no confidence vote from the police Union means you're going out. What it doesn't mean is that you're trying to clean up your department, although they may be trying to do just that. Maybe not, but you can't speculate on some subjective unknown issue.
It’s better than a collaborative corruption system and no transparency otherwise you would know nothing if you ask your a conspiracy nut job dark murders rape you name it in the name of legal law totalitarian government
@@dennisgreene8784 what the hell language is that?
Corruption should be a life sentence
As far as I'm concerned, when members of Government or Law Enforcement break the Law and get caught, they should be automatically slapped with Double the Maximum Penalty for that infraction with no chance for Parole in the case of Prison Time...
When it comes to criminal sentencing all politicians and law enforcement should receive double the mandatory limits
Plus an immediate impeachment, disbarment, whatever and blocked from EVER holding positions of power ever again.
Law enforcement should get more time for braking the law then the rest of us
ALWAYS the max sentence, and ALWAYS served consecutively, would probably be reasonable.
@@shaunclarkson7131 yes if your in a place of power and brake the law you should be
Is that Power brakes or just hydraulic? Drum or disc?
Lol, Steve you sounded like a weatherman when you said a low of 46 and a high of 57!
I love it. Next time a police officer here in South Carolina gives me a hard time for filming in public, I will bring up this sheriff's name.
1 It's ironic that officers can steal money from motorists legally (civil asset forfeiture) but get sent to prison for stealing money from the government.
2 Stun gun attack. The sheriff had the deputy repeatedly stun the prisoner after he was on the floor and was no longer resisting.
They can't put someone in prison for bad debt in this country until it meets the criteria of fraud. But the government doesn't even have to prove anything. Just make an accusation and initiate prosecution. You have no protection unless you owe the INFERNAL REVENUE DISSERVICE more than $10,000. In the case of civil asset, you have none. Hire a lawyer for more than you owe/lost and hope for the best. Corrupt officials know this and use it to their benefit constantly. They are taught by the system they foster
ok long story short, I grew up in Howell Mi, My dad the the Livingston county undersherrif, and to tell the truth he was the most corrupt and all his officers there were too, he stole a 22 single shot rifle from the evidence room and gave it as a birthday present to me when I was 12 , he would tell me stories of when they would beat up people for no reason and how honest all his friends were and later in life all his friends were caught stealing and doing mafia sort of stuff and they got caught, what a hard time i had when I finally realized just how bad he was.
Better late than never. And that you have opened your eyes to the reality of things. Most people who are related to a law enforcement officer will do all manner of mental gymnastics in their head trying to make it palatable for themselves to believe that their loved ones are "heroes". Kudos to you for seeing things for what they are.
The best part is that he brought this all on himself by being a Tyrant and locking a citizen up for 3 days. He brought all of this attention on himself.
The false arrest was probably NOT his undoing, sorry to say...
It was what made the FBI start investigating him so actually yesit was
Okay, Question Steve, is this Sheriff still getting his pension? In our county we had a similar “incident”. The sheriff was arrested, tried, convicted, sentenced, and sent to prison. He “retired” when arrested and started collecting his pension, even in prison....
His pension and wages should have been garnished from the day he comitted the crime he got convicted for and payed out to his victim(s)
It seems a bit stern compared to police/prosecutors/judges that falsify evidence or intentionally cause someone to be convicted of a crime that they didn't commit. It seems like they should do big time compared to this guy.
Negative! the others you speak of are not punished harshly enough
@@silentvoiceinthedark5665 That's what I said.
I agree they should be punished more harshly.. Commercial truck drivers who have a CDL suffer harsher penalties then normal drivers for the same infractions. Because the CDL owners are considered professional drivers. Law enforcement should be considered professionals as well concerning, knowledge of the law. Using there power to abuse authority should require at least a 25% increase in time and fines.
Every conviction and non-prosecution during these people's time in authority needs to be looked at through a microscope to verify that there have not been other cases of criminality by the Department ... !!!
For this reason exemplary punishment should be mandated for those in law enforcement who are convicted of abusing that position ...
...and sentencing enhancements need to be added for every incorrectly handled case as well!
One out of one thousand is hardly shocking when the corruption is so rampant
Lehtos I really enjoy your program I don’t really know allot about laws but you explain everything so well I just happened to come across your program a while ago maybe a couple years ago I thought who is this guy sitting and talking in his gerage and I just began to listen and I was hooked thank you for all the knowledge you share
The former sheriff should also be doing time for false arrest, perjury, assault & battery, armed robbery just for locking up an innocent person
Some people think they're untouchable
Ben - Right around 3 minutes into the video, Steve moves slightly to his left. Ben is behind Steve's head, atop the books.
at the 9:29 mark is an even better sighting of said C-Note FYI, but great eye was a difficult one. Don't envy those on phones to spot it.
I haven't been able to find Ben now for like the last 5 videos. Now I know why. Thanks👍
@@gillboardman8998 Don't worry Steve will move him in the next video, just for you 😉😁
This is "the cockroach you see in daylight". You know there thousands more behind the wall.
A lavish, over the top conference brought down the Wounded Warrior Project. As a Veteran I was donor until then. So much-needed oversight should be applied to these "charities ". It's truly sad where the money goes.....
I would like to point out that while I don't know the exact details for such charities a lot that you think is paid by the charities is donated or at cost the reason is tax write off and some people who donate space, accommodations, food tend to people who donated money in this case probably veterans. You can always request a freedom of information act for costs and where money donated is spent.
@@johnree6106 the " details" are easily found, they were all over the news WWP are still licking those wounds and trying to get back standing. Also, any of these charities can be looked up and a person can see where the money goes. Salaries, overhead, advertising, but, most important ...the actual percentage that goes to the cause they are promoting...
@@johnree6106 charities, by IRS definition, only have charitable contributions.
So ANYTHING paid by the charity is coming out of contributions.
If an airlines says "we will donate two First-Class tickets", the charity could counter with " two economy tickets, and balance in cash contributions".
"Free Money" from the OPM drives most folk to greed.
(OPM -- Other People's Money)
Ahhh, I always make sure my conferences are in Bali, Hawaii or Cancun especially when someone else is paying. The sheriff always waits for a big civil forfeiture though.
Corrupt Sheriff - Come to Los Angeles. I think corruption is a requirement, before you can apply.
Lots of places...
I've had cops claim to be a public defender to see what I was going to do about being repeatedly tazed and beaten for no cause
Steve, it would be nice if you posted a link in the description to the article you're reading to us.
Allen County Ohio, the sheriff was found guilty of extortion and soliciting bribes. Sentenced to 136 months in federal prison and $606,221 restitution, back in 2019.
This needs to happen to so many more cops, it should be the next purge for 2022.
The Prosecutor should have a feild day stacking approx. 90 charges against him and all deputies. in the dept. State Prison for 10 years no Parole. I submit that EVERY SINGLE sheriff and chief of police DOES THIS AND IN AN ONGOING METHOD.
Judge: "You're corrupt, and you're going down for four years"
Sheriff: "Let me off and I'll send you an invite to my PARTY BARN."
One of our sheriffs in New Mexico is serving two to three years for obstruction of justice.
Two really big cyber security conferences, BlackHat and DefCon, both occur in Las Vegas. I wouldn't even raise an eyebrow if a police officer chose to attend BlackHat.
Hundo, unfolded, on top of the blue law books, directly behind Steve's head, on the first shelf of the main cabinet. 797.
"If I couldn't live in Michigan, I'd move to the land of corrupt Sherrifs."
You mean "Anytown, U.S.A. ?"
Corrupt police and sheriffs all over the 50 United States of America .
@@chrisbudesa I know, the way he said the whole thing was just funny
Government 'conferences' should be held in places like North Dakota, Minnesota, etc. Not tourist destinations.
When I made the decision to move from Michigan I had North Carolina and Arizona as the prime states to pick from. I picked Arizona, because of the low humidity. Glad I did, but I do like
North Carolina as a place to visit and tour on my motorcycle. Been there a few times and always liked it. Arizona if just a notch better. Must be abut 5000 feet up to escape the heat and all will be fine. The Ozarks in Arkansas are also nice. That was on my list too. Again, too humid.
"Had on-duty deputies work to build him a party-barn..." Sounds legit.
Here's a little nugget I read from "The Herald" a Rock Hill, SC newspaper and website while reading up on this story:
"Since 2010, 13 sheriffs in South Carolina’s 46 counties have been convicted of state and federal crimes."
Yikes.
"Who will Guard the Guardians". It's an old phrase, translated from the Latin "quis custodiet ipsos custodes", which shows that the ancient Romans had similar problems. Thanks for quoting it, Steve.
What isn’t talked about, but I feel is very important, is the need to have citizens trust the Police and Judiciary, without that Trust, the system must fail. All that it takes is for good people to do nothing.
I find it ironic that this sheriff is going to jail, deservedly, for the kind of shenanigans that our "representatives" perpetrate on a regular basis, without consequence.
You should not be allowed to SURVIVE being held accountable for corruption.
Can a federal district court judge be fined or jailed for guiding a case ?
If you're cooking meat on a grill, in a party barn, is that a steak out?
Being a retired law enforcement officer and Chief of an agency, I whole heartedly agree that law enforcement should be held to a higher standard and should receive much stiffer punishments. A position of honor and trust, that has the power to take away liberty, that has a duty to protect the public, cannot be held to the standard of an "every day" criminal... they should receive a significant amount more.
FYI, I never went to a conference in Hawaii and hated the one conference I went to in Vegas (not the conference, just Vegas). We were required to go to training within the state unless there was no other option and the training was required. Fortunately I worked in California because I loved going to training in San Diego! 🤣
is it possible that the whole legal system is rather corrupt
Not only possible but all I have found in my quest for assistance from such public servants
This kind of corruption is everywhere to some degree. Law enforcement budget and expenditures should be published in detail every year in every jurisdiction for public review.
In some places.cursing can be considered verbal assault.
My dad was a physician(‘50’s, ‘60’s &’70’s) and various medical societies would have “conferences” where different subjects were covered in different countries. Hawaii was a favorite. He and my mother attended a few.
What’s wrong with a party barn?! So long as I get invited
The fact that it is called a "barn" means it would be taxed at a lower rate.
Steve the real story should be that he is the 13 th SC Sheriff Arrested/Charged in the past 11 years.
Cops and lawyers should be held to higher standards
Underwood is one of 13 sheriffs in South Carolina’s 46 counties convicted of crimes since 2010. Five of the 12 sentenced before Underwood have received prison time.
Other cops always say the same thing when one of their own gets busted "You haven't heard the whole story yet, then you will see they should not be punished."
You gotta get a gig calling spelling bees or bingo. That emphatic repitition you have is on point.
The conference isn't in Vegas, it's in Henderson, NV. Gov employee probably.
Get the corrupt politicians and this guy that’s in the White House thinks he’s president in jail … The sentence should double or triple when it involves politicians or any elected official especially if they’re a police officer
If I grabbed someone off the street and held them captive for 3 days, I wonder what my sentence would be. I'm guessing it would be more than 4-5 years
Even using off duty “volunteers” to help build the party barn seems kind of slimy to me.
welcome to SC. All public safety must be held to a higher standard. what else has been done and not discovered? all involved who did not report this are guilty.
Steve, in case you're wondering a party barn is essentially a mini bar built on private land and it usually looks like a barn. And yes, I do mean a mini bar--my cousin's has a bar with a set of taps for beer and a few tables laid out for friends to use. Also has a small stage for musicians to play. His could hold about 40 people.
A: Definition of “Party Barn”
Q: What is that on Steve’s t-shirt?
Never a dull moment Steve! Love it! Better than any stupid crap on TV! Even the nightly news would lose against your ratings! You go
My husband & I are born & raised North Carolinians & we totally agree w/ you; North Carolina IS awesome, lol!
We live somewhere with-in the Raleigh, Sanford, Fort Bragg triangle! 🤪
But heck yeah, come on down!! I promise you, we have the BEST BBQ (Pulled pork) and sweet tea you’ll ever find!! ☺️ Haha.
I've gone to LV for a union training seminar. I personally spent most of my time in seminars. When the seminars broke for the day, I went to my room watched television, sat at the pool and went to the restaurants in the hotel at The Golden Nugget
This country has gone mad when a cop can't build a party barn on taxpayers time, or arrest folks just because they want to. What's next, expecting them to perform their duties in a professional manner? LOL
Law Enforcement enforce the laws and do not make up laws that are not in the books. If they make up laws they need to be admonished in a Court of Law and charged with uttering false statements with dismissal and their Law Enforcement credentials revoked. Picture, prints and DNA filed as UNSUITABLE in Law Enforcement.
should get at least 10 years. Any cop that abuses his authority, regaurdless of the crime should face minimum 10 years per count. to be run consecutively with no possibility of reduction for "good time" etc.. the potential punishment has to be so extreme, that the temptation to abuse is repugnant to them.
What did this guy think he was a Senator?
Maybe he was actually working on a White House bid.
@@thinkingimpaired5663 nah, he flew first class, he didn't charter a private jet. That's House of Representatives level at best.
@@admthrawnuru 👍🤣😂
He sure aint the first to be removed from office.
If I was rich I would hire a gaggle of lawyers to build me a party barn
As a proud North Carolinian, we would be proud to have u move to our state. As it seems everyone else is moving here also from the northern states. U cant beet mountains 3 hrs to the west from the middle, and the crystal coast 2.5 hrs to the east from the middle. Go North kakalakie :)
Shouldn't every single deputy that was building the party barn on county time be held responsible?
Go to SC taxes are lower! Looks like Benny Franklin is doing a book signing right behind Steves' head!
I don’t know how it is you only get 4 years for effectively kidnapping someone and holding them prisoner.
It makes you wonder how many others have gotten away with it and how many are doing this right now.
The "party barn" is an international phenomena: come to Saskatchewan and you'll see.
Steve we'd love to have you in NC!
Google to the rescue: "Party barns are multi-use structures that can host large events like weddings and live shows or serve as a casual backyard hangout, replete with a game room and/or your own private taproom."
Before even watching the video, the title alone sounds like the opening to the Jack Reacher sequel. In any case, his stay in prison should go beyond 3 decades.