An ethics panel has issued a six page opinion finding that Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose may not profit from his planned memoir on the Sniper killings.

The panel, which reviews outside employment for all county employees, said Chief Moose had not met the standards for an exemption to a county law that bars employees from using the prestige of their office for private gain.

"Accepting remuneration for services directly and immediately related to an employee's governmental activities violates the prestige-of-office prohibition because, to paraphrase the state ethics commission, those services `go with the job,' " the commissioners wrote.

The commission ruled that the county's best interests would not be served by granting a waiver and that Chief Moose's importance to the county did not "outweigh any potential harm from a conflict of interest."

The Montgomery County Executive, Douglas Duncan, was disappointed with the ruling, saying, ""I continue to feel strongly that the chief should have the opportunity to tell not only the story of his life's work in law enforcement, but also his story of the tragic events of last October."

Fine, but how about waiting until the trial is over so he doesn't prejudice the jury pool.

Update: Chief Moose says he finds himself under such personal attack that he is considering leaving the force.