Watch the CBS Reports documentary 'King of the County: The Power of Sheriffs' in the video player above.County sheriff's officers are three times more lethal than city police, a CBS News investigation has found.More people were killed by U.S. law enforcement in 2023 than any other year in the past decade, outpacing population growth eightfold.
'Nothing has happened to them,' said McCurtain Gazette reporter Chris Willingham. He and his father Bruce were the journalists whose murders the sheriff and others were heard contemplating. 'They have to feel untouchable, they're above the law.'Meanwhile, some who consider themselves victims of the sheriff's office have fled town, saying they fear for their safety.