We cannot trust candidates who deceive voters with false claims. El Paso County Sheriff candidate Mike Angley joins the ranks of a few desperate politicians wasting money to spread nonsense.

Angley wants Sheriff Bill Elder’s job. Elder is well known for moving Colorado’s largest Sheriff’s Office in the right direction. Voters wisely elected him four years ago to straighten out a department in peril after then-Sheriff Terrey Maketa came under accusations of misconduct never proven in court.

Elder improved morale and restored public trust. The conservative sheriff continues moving the office forward, improving public safety and the office’s internal workings.

Rachael Flick, the widow of Deputy Micah Flick, details improvements she attributes to Elder. Micah Flick died on duty during a February gunbattle.

“As a deputy’s wife for 11 years, I heard the bad, the worse and the ugly that grew out of the previous administration’s third term,” Rachael Flick wrote Thursday on Facebook.

“I saw and felt the anger, resentment and disgust that developed within the staff when the previous Sheriff ceased to follow the law he swore to uphold … Then came Sheriff Bill Elder. A breath of fresh air to a weary, angry team of men and women committed to law enforcement.

“Sheriff Elder brought fresh solutions to old problems. He created forums for staff to share their pent up frustrations. He brought experience and stability to a besieged staff. And most importantly he conducted himself and his leadership with INTEGRITY.”

To unseat a successful and popular sheriff, Angley should convince the public he would do better. Instead, Angley’s wife donated more than $160,000 to buy the type of ugly TV ads that make rational people hate elections.

Micah Flick’s widow calls it “a lot of messy, character defaming slime being perpetuated by Sheriff Elder’s Republican (primary) opposition.”

The Angley ad features a manipulated photo of Elder in a vomit-green setting. Bold-faced red text alleges “HE’S CORRUPT.” The rest of the ad lodges other juvenile, unsubstantiated insults directed at our sheriff and his above-average team of cops.

Nothing in the ad supports the claims. They come off like playground trash talk.

The ad complements Angley’s mailer, which spreads nutty-sounding conspiracy theories.

This is not just any old race for public office. This contest determines who runs the jail, and who ensures a professional response when property and lives depend on law enforcement. We wonder if someone running a mean and dishonest campaign can lead a good law enforcement bureau. We have no such concerns about Elder’s integrity.

“Bill (Elder) has cared for me and my children expediently and thoroughly,” Rachael Flick says. “He is the same man of excellence in public, and in private. An asset to our community and his agency.”

Just as we question Angley’s disposition, we worry about his qualifications. So does The Colorado Springs Police Protective Association. And the Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters Association. That’s because Angley, unlike Elder, holds no certification by the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Board.

“The ramification of any candidate ultimately serving our community without these core competencies causes us concern,” the cops and firefighters wrote. “Bill Elder’s leadership reaches out to all public service entities, fostering collaborative working relationships to better serve our community and provide the greatest return on our heard earned tax dollars … Please join your public safety representatives in re-electing Bill Elder as Sheriff.”

To get Angley qualified to serve, taxpayers would fund at least 18 weeks of all-day training. Instead of working as sheriff, Angley would spend more than one-third of a year just getting certified.

Retired Air Force Col. Jimmie Butler of Colorado Springs questions other aspects. On his campaign website, Angley claims 35 years of executive experience in law enforcement and U.S. intelligence.

“He wants the voters of El Paso County to believe he was an executive from the day he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant,” Butler posted on Facebook. “Those of us who have served in the military know it doesn’t work that way.

On the recent side of the 35 years, Angley includes 10 years of teaching for the for-profit Henley-Putnam University in California.

“Living in Colorado and being an adviser to the president of an on-line university in California, and writing some articles for websites seems to be the basis for the final 10 years of the 35 years as an executive Angley claims,” Butler wrote. “Not much in those 10 years to bolster his credentials for taking over the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.”

Angley has a slim chance, but one the community cannot risk. Elder would continue as a fully qualified, proven law enforcement professional who gets good results. For those who have not voted, the choice is clear. Re-elect the fully qualified Sheriff Bill Elder – a proven success.