As most of you know I retired from law enforcement after 24 years and for the past 91 Saturdays since February 2004, I have, as a community service, attempted to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the public by speaking out against corruption and holding those accountable that interfere with justice. In my experience interacting with the public, I have developed a few important concerns.

One of my concerns has been the distorted public perception that those engaged in the noble profession of law enforcement hold a tight rank in order to protect fellow officers that have become corrupt or are somehow in violation of the law.

Not one of the dedicated officers that I know supports or even excuses, the illegal activity conspired by and acted upon by Brett Hobbs while he was a narcotics officer with the Leland Police Department. Hobbs is a disgrace to all those that swear to uphold the laws of the State.

However, the Brunswick County District Attorney's Office and Chief Superior Court Judge William Gore have failed miserably to protect the delicate balance of justice in this particular case. How can we point to a teenager caught holding a marijuana cigarette and scold him on the consequences of drug use and abuse and the likelihood of his becoming a resident of one of our prison facilities when he can point his finger at Brett Hobbs walking the streets a free man.

Brett Hobbs not only deserves to be in prison, he should be made to apologize to the men and women of law enforcement that risk their lives to enforce the laws he so brazenly ignored, he should be on his knees before the parents of the children he helped to addict to cocaine, and he should have the profit that he received from these traffickers ripped from his paycheck for the next 20 years. He not only disgraced the badge but he disgraced his good family's name.

Law enforcement did their job. They ran a covert investigation and with the evidence obtained by this investigation, they arrested the perpetrator Hobbs while he still wore the badge entrusted to him by this State, the self-sacrificing public citizens DID THEIR JOB by taking time off of work to serve on a Grand Jury to determine if there was enough evidence gathered against Hobbs to warrant a trial, after reviewing the evidence provided by law enforcement agents, these citizens handed down a true bill of indictment against Hobbs, then the Brunswick County Judicial System, all elected officials, let us down MISERABLY when they failed to provide justice by not going for the throat on this one.

This is a cold slap in the face to those of us that have walked the thin blue line with honor and it will not be forgotten come election day, I guarantee it.

Marc Benson
Retired Law Enforcement Officer with 24 years of proud service