European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 8, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday. July 8.1986 the stars and stripes Page 7 some sheriffs on wrong Side of Law Charleston . Api in counties across he nation he sheriff maintains Law and order appoints deputies and watches the Rural roads. He May be a Jailer even a tax collector. Bui in More and More cases officials say. He May also be a Crook. Five Conner sheriffs have run afoul of the Law recently in West Virginia. Ten current or former sheriffs in Tennessee have been charged. There Are several reasons sheriff go bad and some states including Georgia which has removed about 5 sheriffs in the Pasi six years Are taking Steps to address them. West Virginia like most Stales sets few standards for office. Just a warm body that s All said Joe Trupo pres ident of the West Virginia sheriffs association when asked about the Job requirements. Trupo who has a background in the state Highway patrol says he can count on his fingers the number of the state s 55 sheriffs who have Law enforcement Back grounds. Last week a former West Virginia sheriff was sentenced to five months in jail after admitting he had passed marijuana taken from the department s Evi Dence room to another county official. Other sheriffs have been convicted of accepting bribes to overtook gambling operations and of conspiring to Torch a Lavem. Drug Money often lures sheriffs into crime. Eight of the 10 sheriffs charged in Tennessee in the last four years were accused of Selling drugs or protecting smugglers. There arc no firm National figures on corrupt la enforcement officials but in a report to Congress the Justice department said nine sheriffs six deputies and five police chiefs were convicted of various charges in the past two years. I Don l think More sheriffs Are convicted than any other official. They re just More  said l. Cary Bittick executive director of the National sheriffs association. They really Are in a vulnerable  he added. "1 f you re a drug dealer he s the Man you have to bribe. It does t do any Good to pay off the local police chief the county commission or the state Highway patrol. You need the sheriff because he patrols the Rural  Georgia where corrupt sheriffs were becoming a scandal has passed a Law barring convicted felons i Don t think More sheriffs Are convicted than any other official. They re just More  1. Gary Bittick sheriffs association from sen ing As sheriff. We had two convicted felons in office when we passed that Law and you cannot believe what we went through said Bud Cody executive director of the Georgia sheriffs association. Georgia also requires 20 hours of in service training annually for each sheriff and set up a process whereby a governor can appoint a committee to investigate a sheriff suspected of corruption. Since 1980, we be removed about i i Georgia sheriffs from office said Cody. Where we be gone from no Law about removing sheriffs to r we can go no further without violating their constitutional rights Cody said. We finally got our legislature to see that if it is such a profession Al Job and to prone to lawsuit that they should have the training to withstand  although it has no raining program Wesl Virginia is one of three states setting an eight year Cap on the Lime a sheriff May serve. The Law was designed to keep a sheriff from becoming a self perpetuating institution but some complain it stifles initiative for i lame Duck. In Wesl Virginia where the office is elective Trupo said Many sheriffs Are merely politicians. Being elected int bad counters Bittick. "1, a sheriff Felt that i was mandated by my voters not by one or three or five county  another problem is that a sheriff in West Virginia it expected to enforce the Laws run the jail and collect delinquent taxes. Some complain the Job require a rare Cross Between a police officer and a businessman. Bittick said those Job duties Are common in about 80 percent of the states primarily for economic reasons. There has been talk about taking us collection work out of the Job said upshur county sheriff Fred Gaudet. But Many county commissioners Don t want that because they Are gelling the work done for a Maxi mum $15.000 a year when they would have to pay $30,000 if they hired a lax  last year the Justice department said Federal prosecutors won convictions against sheriffs involved in i Georgia stolen car ring an Indiana extortion scheme and a Tennessee cocaine smuggling Enterprise. In 1984, the department busted sheriffs involved in Mississippi and Tennessee drug rings a South Carolina gambling operation and a Texas scheme to protect Massage parlor operator. The number of convictions of those who betray their Public Trust has increased Over the Yean and continued at a High level said the Justice department in its annual report 10 Congress. Nader targets treated apples . Brewery attacks import Washington the world s population reached the Milestone 5 billion Mark with the birth of a child sometime monday the population Institute  before have so Man people shared space on this  observed Werner Fornos president of the private Institute which studies population questions. Five billion probably puts the world population about Ai it carrying capacity. It will be difficult lofted clothe shelter and employ  at More than a Tubili since level of life added. M. Rupert Cutler executive director of population Environ ment balance another population research group. Rapid population growth has stretched the resources of the world and the Prospect of future increases raises questions of How to Cope with their growing needs population experts generally concur. Population experts tended to agree with Fornos and Cutler s concern for the future though not All would have selected the same Date for the world to reach the s billion people Mark. He May very Well be right said Carl Haub a demographer at the private population reference Bureau. But Haub noted the United nations estimates that the 5 billion Mark won t be reached until about next March. First lady spends 65th birthday quietly Washington