I fought the law, and the law won.

From time to time, I have complained about the inability of the civil service to get rid of bad apples. Here's a recent example.

Last month a deputy U.S. marshal was charged with murder. While off-duty, the marshal, Arthur Lloyd, had been involved in a Maryland parking lot dispute that ended when he shot the other party, Ryan Stowers, four times, first in the leg as they were standing in the lot and then in the back. Stowers did not pull a gun or any other weapon, and was shot in the back as he tried to drive away.

The marshal had kept his job for 28 years, despite a record of bizarre behavior. According to The Washington Post, he had once made a $10,000 payment to a federal prisoner to settle a lawsuit in a case in which he had tied the prisoner's hands and feet, verbally abused him, and read him passages of the Bible. His wife had twice sought restraining orders against him, alleging in one that "he broke the kitchen door with her head" Another time, his son called the police to report his father had thrown him through a window. He had told his wife "he could do anything he wanted because he is a US marshal."

Apparently the Marshals Service agreed. His only punishment was a suspension, even though added to his violent behavior was what the service itself called "a shoddy attendance record."