Hard to believe that a First Amendment issue has spun off of that brutal double-murder in Ruskin on Thanksgiving Day. The one where the alleged murderer opened fire after ordering several card-playing men to lie down on a porch. According to authorities, the arrested suspect was wearing a black T-shirt or vest with “SHERIFF” emblazoned in big letters across the front.
Perfectly legal. Wearing law enforcement gear is not against the law. The wearer has to be actually identifying himself as a law enforcement officer to be against the law. Can’t, presumably, be responsible for what others might infer.
Such fake garb is readily available–from military surplus stores to EBay. Legally, it’s just another form of faux uniform. Not unlike a Bucs or Rays or Lightning jersey. A way of showing support or allegiance. It’s been called a free-speech issue.
That’s not how it’s being referenced in Ruskin.
Wear an old Warren Sapp jersey. We get that. Sort of. But a “SHERIFF” shirt that looks authentic because it probably is?
Free speech, of necessity, travels a circuitous route. Let the Luke Lirots, for example, make their self-serving case for strippers. That’s First Amendment distortion enough and nobody gets hurt, although such an application was likely not what the Confounding Fathers had in mind.
But walking around wearing law-enforcement gear? That’s not a shout-out for the sheriff. That’s crossing the line between freedom of expression and officer impersonation. Ban it–instead of banishing common sense.