Public corruption should always trigger outrage, regardless of the offender. When people entrusted with public dollars abuse that trust, the damage goes far beyond the financial hit. It erodes confidence in institutions that rely on credibility to function.

That is why the stark contrast between two recent public corruption cases in our region is impossible to ignore — and deeply concerning.

In one case, a former Marshall County assessor, an elected official, was sentenced to two to 15 years in state prison for embezzlement. That sentence properly reflects the seriousness of the crime. It sends a clear message that public office is not a license to enrich oneself and that abuse of taxpayer trust carries real consequences.

In the other case, a former Wheeling police officer who ran a federal drug task force — an organization specifically charged with enforcing the law — admitted to stealing more than $75,000 in task force funds. That individual — prosecuted in the federal judicial system — did not receive prison time. Instead, he was sentenced to probation.

Probation.

That disparity is impossible to justify.

Both crimes involved theft. Both involved abuse of authority. Both involved a betrayal of public trust.

Yet only one resulted in incarceration.

If anything, the law enforcement case should have drawn equal punishment, not leniency. A police officer — particularly one in a leadership role overseeing a drug task force — is entrusted not only with public funds but also the moral authority of the justice system itself. When that trust is violated, the damage impacts every officer patrolling our streets.

When sentencing appears inconsistent — or worse, preferential — it feeds cynicism and reinforces the perception that there are two systems of justice: one for insiders and one for everyone else.

This is, simply, about accountability and credibility. If elected officials deserve prison time for corruption, then law enforcement officers who steal from the public deserve no less scrutiny — and no softer consequences.

Equal justice under the law is a promise and the underpinning of our entire legal system. When that promise appears broken, the public has every right to question why.

Corruption is corruption — and a slap on the wrist does not serve justice.

— The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register