QUIS CUSTODIET IPSOS CUSTODES
Means "Who Polices the Police?"

From the Houston Chronicle:

Sheriff's crimes leave lasting image of graft

In June, Cantu was charged with heading a crime ring that allegedly was mixed up in drug trafficking, extortion and other misdeeds. He's in a Raymondville jail, getting closer to God, his lawyer said, while awaiting a December sentencing. And Cameron County officials are struggling with the fallout.

And

But early on, there were signs that Cantu, a burly ex-plumber and high school dropout with almost no law enforcement experience, might not be up to the task of running the $20 million-per-year, 351-employee operation.

Soon after he assumed command in December 2001, his agency experienced a string of embarrassing episodes, including jail breaks, some orchestrated by guards; the theft of inmate property; drug sales by correctional officers; and reports of sexual relations between jailers and female inmates.

Cantu's top jail administrator was arrested and later accused of grooming a jailhouse ''harem."

Even more disquieting was this summer's indictment accusing Cantu of running a criminal enterprise that allegedly extorted bribes from drug traffickers, protected an illegal gambling operation and obstructed state and local law enforcement efforts.

Click here for the rest.

Yet another lesson in why we must have extraordinarily high standards for the people whose job it is to hold everybody else simply to high standards, and why we must watch them very closely. Cops have a great deal of power. It may be geeky to quote Spider-Man here, but it's a good principle: "with great power comes great responsiblity." Indeed. However, police power is so great that it's quite a bad idea to leave it all up to individual cops--really, this is society's responsibility. Who should police the police? Us.

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