Author: John M. Sproles, Sheriff of Henry County

When I became a law enforcement officer, I took an oath to protect and serve the people of Henry County. I do not use the office or my position for personal gain, but rather for the betterment of my community.

Career politicians aren’t public servants. As candidates, they promise us the moon and the stars: they’ll fight for us!” and “always have our backs!”. Once elected, they seem to quickly forget or neglect the oath they also take to support and defend the Constitution, and instead serve their own interests and higher ambitions.

I’ll be honest – I once was a Mike Braun guy. When Mike first ran for Senate, I thought he could be a plainspoken outsider who could shake up the status quo. He was a vocal advocate for law enforcement and promised to ‘back the blue’ when we needed it most. Now, I realize he had quickly become a typical politician.

I remember flipping on Fox News one evening when the country was in the fever pitch of violent riots. Law enforcement officers all over the country, including myself, felt under attack as we watched our cities burn and our profession be publicly denigrated. To my pleasant surprise, as I flipped on the TV, Senator Braun was on Tucker Carlson Tonight. “Fantastic!” I thought, “He’ll stand up for us and not back down.” To my shock, I watched Senator Braun fumble his way through explaining why he thought it made sense to make it easier to sue law enforcement for doing our jobs. That’s right, instead of taking on the mob, he took up their cause.

I was confused and disappointed by Senator Braun’s inability to have our backs in his public remarks on national television at a critical time. But, I thought, before I jump to any conclusions, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and ask him about it myself. After all, this was a guy who campaigned on being a vocal advocate for law enforcement and backing the blue—maybe he just had an off day.

As it turned out, Senator Braun wasn’t having an off day. He simply said, “There are only a couple thousand law enforcement officers in the state and there will be nearly a million votes for governor, so a few thousand voters are not important.” It was a gut punch. While Mike Braun campaigned on “backing the blue” enthusiastically, he was just like any other career politician as it turned out: a smooth talker who says what they need to say to get elected, but doesn’t have your back when it counts.

I was skeptical of any outsider running for politics. I thought they were all like Braun: people pretending to be outsiders but who are really cut from the same career politician, self-interested cloth when push comes to shove. While Senator Braun may have been fool’s gold, I’ve found the real deal in Eric Doden.

Eric is a man of God and leads with a servant’s heart. As a candidate, he’s already proven he has our backs by taking on Mayor Joe Hogsett on crime in Indianapolis before even getting elected. He is a vocal supporter of qualified immunity, and he’s never flip-flopped or backed down on his stance. He even has a Zero-Cost adoption plan to find safe and loving homes for foster children.

Eric and I share the same values: we love our God, our family, and our state. We take our oaths seriously. Our word is our bond. Eric Doden has my total endorsement to be the next governor of Indiana, and I’ll be honored to serve alongside him to protect and serve the people of Indiana.

Continue reading here: https://www.thecouriertimes.com/opinion/eric-doden-will-be-the-governor-law-enforcement-can-trust/article_295aa4c2-de7e-5e9e-8311-d425e3dbd357.html