According to police, officers were investigating Ridder on an unrelated matter when they found evidence of child pornography on a device belonging to Ridder.
His home and other devices were also searched.
When Sheriff Gerald Sticker was made aware of the allegations, he said he placed Ridder on administrative leave and made him surrender his department uniforms, gear, and car.
I’ve known quite a few cops while never being in law enforcement. The majority are decent people. Having said that they often turn a blind eye to the less ethical members of their ranks. Very few of them would overlook something like that. The problem is that they often cover for their coworkers concerned that they may need support in the future and not get it. Its a shitty conflict of interest that has no real penalty attached to it. Often not towing the line results in you being fired for some minor offense while the complete fuck ups often just move on to somewhere else before it comes to that.