Sheriffs are people, too

A long, very high-speed chase in which people's lives are endangered, shots fired and finally a suspect is captured. He then reportedly resists the arresting officers and tries to spit on them.

It's enough to make a lawman lose his cool, and that's what apparently happened to Charleston Sheriff Al Cannon on Monday.

Sheriff Cannon says he cursed the suspect and slapped him in the face after he had been handcuffed.

It was an understandable reaction. But that doesn't make it right. Al Cannon knows it, and that's why he, in effect, turned himself in.

Sheriff Cannon filed an incident report with the State Law Enforcement Division, which will review the matter and recommend any charges it views as appropriate against the sheriff.

SLED already is investigating the overall incident because shots were fired by law enforcement officers.

The public elects the sheriff to uphold the law, and based on what we know about Mr. Cannon's long record in that job, his reaction was an uncharacteristic lapse. It demonstrates that the sheriff can get too volatile in the heat of the chase.

After all, Mr. Cannon's not just a sheriff. He's a human being.

Subduing the suspect involved several deputies and a police dog as the video on The Post and Courier website shows.

Nevertheless, the sheriff set a bad example by getting physical with the suspect after he had been subdued.

He did the right thing by admitting his error and moving ahead with the process to settle the matter with SLED, as required by law.

In comments to our reporter, the sheriff acknowledged that the matter "might end up being a political issue at the polls."

Mr. Cannon shouldn't lose much sleep over that.