Brickbat: On Record

When U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jamie Morris, a Special Forces soldier, applied for a concealed carry permit, his local sheriff's office contacted him about several arrests on his record. Morris was confused: He's never been arrested. But his record showed he'd been arrested on several charges, most seriously aggravated sexual contact and negligent homicide and murder. His issues began in 2017, when he was stationed in Mali with several other members of various U.S. special operations forces. Four special operations forces members killed a fifth during that deployment. They were all convicted or pleaded guilty. Two of them claimed Morris authorized the hazing of the man who was killed. But their stories contradicted each other, and the others denied Morris had any involvement. That didn't stop the Army Criminal Investigation Division from "titling" Morris. That's a process where a soldier's record is flagged even if he is never charged. It shows up on criminal background checks as an arrest and usually ends a soldier's chances for promotion. A soldier is never even aware of it unless he applies for a concealed carry permit or job that requires a background check.