Members of the Executive Board of the Southeast Members of the Tennessee Chapter of the Police Benevolent Association said Saturday they are "disgusted" by the actions of Sheriff Billy Long as outlined in federal charges against him.

Craig Joel, president, said the PBA "endorsed candidate William Long’s election to the office of Hamilton County Sheriff. On this cold night in February 2008, we have now convened to express in writing our disappointment and disgust in regards to the allegations of misconduct and the arrest of Sheriff Long for bribery, money laundering and providing a gun to a felon.

"The PBA supported then candidate William Long for sheriff based on his known track record as a street cop for over 30 years and this news has devastated the law enforcement community, whether they supported him for sheriff or not.

"Shock and disbelief cannot adequately describe the emotions running through the HCSO at this dark hour in the history of this Sheriff's Office. Never in our wildest nightmares would we have conceived that such an apparent abuse of the office of the sheriff of Hamilton County would ever occur.

"The Police Benevolent Association and several other law enforcement organizations lent their credibility, their name, to William Long, and to have that trust eviscerated and handed back to us is devastating to say the least. Public trust is built over decades, measured in ounces, and these allegations have set us back in pounds if not tons.

"In the interim, we are deeply thankful that Deputy Chief Allen Branum has been placed in temporary charge of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and he has the full confidence of the SSPBA that he will diligently work to remove the stench that currently surrounds the HCSO based upon the alleged illegal and unethical actions of Sheriff Long. He is an honorable man and a strong leader, and we believe the heart of the organization will not skip a beat in the transition of authority to Chief Branum.

"The PBA Membership consists of Law Enforcement Officers – Officers who are Citizens in this County, also. We commend the US Attorney's Office, the FBI and other Federal and State law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation for detecting and then rooting out alleged corruption at the highest level, and we would also like to thank Mayor Claude Ramsey, Chief Deputy Allen Branum, Chairman Bill Hullander, and Commissioners Fred Skillern and Larry Henry for taking the time to personally speak to the rank and file of the HCSO today. They expressed their confidence in the ability of the rank and file Sheriff's deputies, and their immediate supervisors, to continue to provide the law enforcement services the citizens have come to expect from the HCSO. One employee has been charged and the other 360+ employees are free from suspicion in this debacle, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"Billy Long was the elected leader of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and the head of that organization…but the heart and soul of the office are the men and women, the deputies and corrections officers who Honorably serve the community day and night 365 days a year, just as they are doing now as you read this. Despite the faith in law enforcement that may be shaken by these events, you must also bear in mind that it was law enforcement that brought this situation to light and rooted it out.

"The duly elected leader of local law enforcement currently sits in jail charged with very serious crimes—by police officers, next to every other citizen charged with crimes—and he will be charged with as much zeal, if not more so, than his contemporaries.

"The PBA and all of law enforcement offer both their condolences in the faith we placed in Billy Long, and their assurance that his alleged indiscretions are but a scratch on the Shield that protects us all.

"The task of law enforcement - of justice - is bigger than any one person. While today’s events are at first glance a setback, know that events such as these only challenge law enforcement even more to become the heroes of our generation. The men and women of the Sheriff’s Office 'are' those heroes, and will endeavor to restore the trust and faith in the office of the sheriff that they have shed blood and tears to establish."