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January 2014 CSPOA Conference Report

 On January 24 the CSPOA held a private conference, by invitation only, in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The purpose was to draft a resolution and to create a legal defense fund for sheriffs who fall under attack.  Below is the report on this historic event.  

The January 2014 CSPOA conference began with a prayer. Right then, any newcomers could tell there would be something different about this meeting of over 75 sheriffs, police chiefs, peace officers and other elected officials and public servants from 31 different states. As the day progressed, each of the speakers noted God's role in our task; how could they not? It takes faith to understand freedom; it takes more than courage to stand when the tide is going against you. A self-serving person will go with the flow, but a person of principle - a person of faith - stands even when he or she stands alone against the crashing waves. 

The men and women at this conference did not attend out of any desire to make their lives easier or to make themselves more popular. They came because their beliefs demanded that they be there. Every day they pledge their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor for a cause they believe in: The Holy Cause of Liberty. The same pledge that guided our Founding Fathers as they wrote The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. 

Sheriff Brad Rogers of Indiana acted as master of ceremonies for the event and said a few words by way of introduction. Following his remarks we heard from Sheriff Jeff Christopher of Delaware and Sheriff Nick Finch of Florida, both of whom have recently suffered attacks from their own state governments and who have been assisted financially and personally by the CSPOA through generous member donations. This was the first time most of us had heard Sheriff Finch's story in his own words and it was really a treat. His wife attended as well and with a little coaxing from the group we got her up to the mic too. Wait until you see the video of this! 

Constitutional scholar and director of the Institute On The Constitution Michael Peroutka spoke next, with a rousing reminder of just how heavily dependent the Constitution is on a proper understanding of God's law.  

After a short break, Richard Mack - former Arizona sheriff and founder of the CSPOA - gave a review of important statements from his renown supreme court case. He addressed the oath of office all government officials swear to, the fundamentals of state sovereignty and the duty each local public servant has to protect citizens from abusive and out of control government.  

Attorney and constitutional scholar Kris Anne Hall concluded the morning with a powerful presentation on the Fourth Amendment (search and seizure, warrants, etc.), illustrating just how far we have strayed from constitutional practices in recent years.  

 After lunch our real work began. One of our primary goals was to draft a resolution that would state clearly how we felt about the current abuses raining down from the Federal government, and to establish boundaries and guidelines for federal agents and employees to follow when entering local jurisdictions.  We spent the early afternoon discussing this document, and the tone in the room was nothing short of miraculous. There was some discussion about proper wording, but there was no real disagreement on what we wanted to say. There were some who worried that if the document was worded too strongly others would be hesitant to join us, but there were none who said it was too strongly worded for themselves. There were no lost tempers; no heated arguments. Nobody walked out of the room in anger. How is this possible in a room full of strong-willed, independent sheriffs from across the nation? Only one answer to that: They were of one heart and one mind, and they were acting in courage with the strength of faith. 

Eventually we selected a small committee headed by Sheriff Joey Kyle of Missouri to take the task of combining all our ideas into a finished resolution. Another committee was given the task of making a plan to raise money for a special fund to be used to defend CSPOA members in the event of legal attacks which will surely come as a result of our stand. 

After the finished resolution was read back to the group, we felt another prayer was needed. We prayed over this document, that it could touch the hearts and minds of many other sheriffs, peace officers, public officials and citizens across the nation; that it could be an instrument used to restore liberty to countless numbers who are losing it a little more each day. We prayed that it could be taken in the spirit that it was written: Not a spirit of anger or violence, but a spirit of peace and freedom. We prayed that it could be a clarion call to unite the good people across the nation who want to stand but do not want to stand alone. 

The conference culminated with a banquet and award presentation. Sheriffs Pam Elliott of Texas and Denny Peyman of Kentucky were among the speakers. Hearing Denny Peyman tell in his own words about the persecution he has suffered and how he is arresting corrupt officials in his own county is another moment you won't want to miss on video. Finally, Sheriff Nick Finch received the CSPOA Constitutional Sheriff of the Year award for his exemplary defense of the U.S. Constitution. During his trial he said a phrase that may very well ring down through the years, "The Constitution has to mean something at some point."