July 22, 2016 ********FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE******** Sheriff Herman Jones is attempting to silence his own officers in his efforts for re-election. We have directed our attorneys to respond to his 11th hour attempt to prevent deputies, corporals and sergeants with the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office from expressing their nearly unanimous support for his opponent Jerry Stanley. Last week, through his Undersheriff and legal counsel, Sheriff Jones issued a memorandum informing our members that any efforts on their part to participate in political campaigns even off-duty could result in their termination. While we disagree with Sheriff Jones' position, and believe it to clearly violate our contract with Shawnee County and the Constitution, what is critical is that just four years ago Sheriff Jones contacted these same deputies, corporals and sergeants asking for their open support and endorsement of his attempts to replace retiring Sheriff Barta. As detailed in the attached documents, Sheriff Jones both requested and accepted the endorsement of his campaign for Sheriff by these officers. However, it appears now that since those same officers do not support his campaign, he is threatening their employment. We invite the public to review the attached documentation and judge for themselves the inconsistency and unfairness in the Sheriff's position. While officers should always refrain from offering their political opinions while on-duty, we will always defend the rights of officers while off-duty to support political candidates they believe provide the best leadership for Shawnee County. Kristen Marr, President, FOP, Lodge #3
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