Sheriff does right thing in dealing with deputies

Mahoning County Sheriff Randall Wellington, who has been harshly criticized in this space for a lack of intensity in managing his department, today receives our praise for his handling of a situation involving two deputy sheriffs.
By suspending deputies Mike Wilson, 25, and Charles Heim, 25, for three days -- the suspension is being served through the relinquishing of their compensatory time -- Wellington has signaled that no one is above the law, not even law enforcement types. The sheriff's action came on the heels of an internal investigation into a complaint of criminal damaging and reckless driving filed against the two deputies and a third man. The complaint was filed by Alexis Smith, 21, of Liberty, who said the rental car she was driving was damaged during an incident in the parking lot of an Austintown nightclub.
Smith said that while she and a friend were getting into her rental car, Wilson and the two other men were getting into his car, that was parked next to hers. One of the three accidentally hit Smith's door with his door, but when Smith confronted him about it, he kicked the car door into the door of her car.
Wilson then drove off quickly without the headlights on and the women followed, calling 911 in Austintown and Youngstown to say that Wilson was driving recklessly through the township and city. He was stopped at Wendover Circle and Kirk Road by Officer Donald Korda of the Mill Creek MetroParks Police Department, who saw him driving without his lights. The rear plate was obscured with an "FOP" emblem.
Wellington said Wilson denied driving recklessly.
IDs and badges
Korda, in his report of the traffic stop, said all three men in the car showed deputy sheriff IDs and badges. But when he was interviewed by sheriff's officials, Korda said the men showed their badges after he asked which of the occupants was a police officer. The inquiry from the Mill Creek park policeman was triggered by the "FOP" sticker.
And that raises a question asked regularly by citizens who aren't in law enforcement: Does an "FOP" sticker serve as a stay-out-of-jail card? It's a question that demands an answer from Wellington and other law enforcement agency chiefs.
And, if the stickers are not designed to give those in law enforcement a pass when they break the law, why have them?
As for the sheriff of Mahoning County, his action against deputies Wilson and Heim -- they both work at the jail -- prompts this question: Who is the third man whose identity has not been made public, but who also flashed a badge and ID, according to the report filed by Officer Korda?
It's a loose end Wellington must tie up quickly.
However, as we noted at the outset, Sheriff Wellington is deserving of praise for not sweeping this incident under the rug. The equal application of the law ensures respect for the law on the part of honest citizens.