I believe that the idea of Constables
are a good idea. In theory. On paper. Constables are democratically elected offices, so
therefore, they are held accountable to the people, versus, say
Sheriff's deputies, who are appointed at the behest of the Sheriff.
The Sheriff is elected, but not his deputies. His deputies are not
held to account to the people since they are appointed but not
elected. The only way the voting public can hold a deputy
accountable, is to kick the Sheriff out.
Unfortunately, only 10% of Kentucky's
people vote, which is the least one can do politically. Since most
Kentuckians do not even vote, the chance of even elected politicians
being held to account for their behavior is minimal.
There are as many Constables as there
are Magistrates in a county: 1 Constable for every Magistrate
district. And every Constable has the ultimate absolute power that
the Sheriff has in their respective district in the county. So
Constables are like mini-Sheriffs in their respective Magisterial
district. Constables can help the Sheriff if the Sheriff wants their
help in other districts, but it's up to the Sheriff. The Sheriff is
even allowed to deputize regular folk with the power of posse
comitatus.
Laurel County Kentucky has 6 Constable
districts. And Constables do not get a salary. Constables are paid on
a fees based system. Constables can be reimbursed $200/month for any
expenses they make in regards to their job, but they way Constables
get paid is by the fees they collect from serving warrants,
subpeonas, etc, and Constables are capped out at $71,000/year in the
total fees they are allowed to collect. Many times Constables have to
use their own vehicles, and many times Constables have to get
permission to get the red & blue lights and sirens installed on
their vehicles.
Also, think of Justified, the TV show.
The Constable on “Justified”, played by Patton Oswald, was an
incompetent baffoon, a boob, a turd, a total dumbass.
Usually the Sheriff's office likes to
beat the perp up, and get the glory, and treat Constables like
they're 2nd class citizens. This hierarchy unfortunately
can get to an insecure Constable, who feels the need to go above and
beyond the call of duty, to show their valor, to show their worth, to
show that they can do the job that the Sheriff and his deputies can
do.
Sidenote:
When Bobby Joe Smith ran for Constable
2 years ago, he didn't fill out any questionnaires from the
newspapers. He didn't say why he wanted state power, why he wanted to
carry a gun, and be a law enforcer. This leads me to believe that
Bobby Joe Smith wanted power for power's sake.
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