Support Senior Deputy Ben Fields, Richland County Sheriff Department (Edited/CM)

We, the undersigned, pledge our support for Senior Deputy Ben* Fields, Richland County Sheriff Department, Columbia, SC.

We respectfully ask Sheriff Leon Lott to reconsider his initial decision to terminate Deputy Fields, ask that Sheriff Lott reverse the termination, and reinstate Deputy Fields immediately with all back-pay and reinstatement of benefits and seniority.

Many Americans are getting their knee-jerk reactions about law enforcement and alleged police brutality from FaceBook and Twitter, which coupled with the Liberals in Hollywood, such as George Takei, who alleges police brutality is rampant, and Quentin Tarantino, who has incited violence against the police in New York in his support of #Black Lives Matter, and the anonymity of the internet/social media, they are rushing to judgment before facts are known or discovered and bringing this country to the brink of anarchy.

The issue and root problem is not law enforcement officers utilizing brute force or even excessive force against men, women, and children who break the law,
the issue is the attitude of Americans who don't find the the behavior of criminals reprehensible.

I realize Deputy Fields is a grown-man, twice the size of the student he forcibly removed from her desk, but does that mean if a woman were to strike one of your deputies that you would allow them to be assaulted by the so-called 'fairer sex' because of gender?

I ask that you take into consideration what I'm sure you know as South Carolina's 'Kid's Law', last updated in 2006, Section: Juvenile Delinquency & Criminal Acts; sub-section The Court System; paragraph 3: What Criminal Acts Should I Be Aware Of?; sub-paragraph 1; page 26, which reads:
"As a juvenile, you will be held responsible for breaking the law, and therefore, you should know the boundaries of what you legally can and cannot do. Some of the more common offenses committed by juveniles are listed below.
:: Disturbing School ::
: It is against the law for you to interfere with or disturb in any way the students or teachers of a school. This includes hanging around a school that you are not attending, acting in an obnoxious manner while at school, and fighting or cursing at teachers or other students."

The female student was disrespectful to the teacher, and disruptive to her fellow classmates, and actively committing a crime by her total disregard for authority. Deputy Fields was called to resolve the disruptive student before the situation escalated; it was the student's failure to obey, and her aggression that led to her being deposed from her seat.

I respectfully ask you to call for a complete and thorough investigation of all the facts, and in light of the new video that surfaced, to reverse the termination of Deputy Fields' employment with RCSD. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. God bless, sir.

Respectfully,