My name is Chris Fiora, and I was a candidate in the 2013 primary for sheriff of Carroll County. I am a retired federal agent and police officer.
Having read the recent article on Carroll County’s current sheriff, Jim DeWees, I am deeply troubled by the story (“Carroll sheriff accused of affairs with staff by court clerk wife, who kept divorce complaint unsealed, then dismissed it,” Nov. 6). Reporter Bryna Zumer noted in her story that “the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Code of Conduct, signed in 2023 by Jim DeWees, notes that ‘members shall maintain a level of moral conduct in his/her personal affairs, which is in keeping with the highest standards of the law enforcement profession.’” It appears that DeWees clearly violated that provision of the code.
The head of any law enforcement agency is the one to set the example of character beyond reproach, not only for the agency but for the public you serve. When you violate your own code of conduct, you tarnish your badge, oath and reputation. Deputies are negatively impacted by your failure to adhere to your own rules
DeWees, you should have known that sex and money will get you in trouble every time. Well, that time is here.
In keeping with the code of conduct and moral turpitude implications, I am calling for Jim DeWees to step down as sheriff of Carroll County. As I have heard from trusted sources in the local law enforcement community regarding this story, if your wife can’t trust you, how are we, the public, expected to trust you? It is time for you to step down and for the governor to appoint a new sheriff.
— Chris Fiora, Westminster
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