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Deputy Under Fire For Endorsing Scientology While In Uniform

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — An L.A. County Sheriff's deputy is facing an internal review after he was caught endorsing Scientology in a way that violated department policy.

 

Deputy Benjamin Ring appeared in uniform in a mailer for the Church of Scientology and the Sheriff's Department is launching an investigation.

"You're not supposed to be in uniform endorsing anything," L.A. County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

Whitmore said officials questioned Ring on whether he knew of the flyer and that he had broke department code.

"The deputy, as far as we can tell, was enthusiastic about something that has benefitted his life. So, it may have been a misstep -- we don't know," Whitmore said.

In the mailer Deputy Ring encourages members to invest in co-auditing services:

"What's the point of having a condo in Burbank or going to Europe instead of investing in myself. Instead of flowing money into my IRA or 401(k), why don't I flow money toward my Bridge?"

Whitmore says the flyer is not fabricated or photoshopped and Ring is still on the job.

He said the department has a strict policy about deputies endorsing products while in uniform.

The Church of Scientology has not responded to calls for comment.

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