By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, North America
ARIZONA, United States—The self-proclaimed “toughest sheriff in America” is now being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department for possible civil rights abuses. Allegations against him include systematically discriminating against Latinos and being uncooperative in the investigation.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County has become a household name, gaining popularity and controversy for his relentless pursuit of illegal immigrants. He is also noted for aggressive law enforcement policies and his colorful, defiant attitude.
Some of Arpaio’s practices include using minor traffic violations as an excuse to check individuals’ legal status, and making prisoners in the county jail wear striped uniforms with pink socks and underwear.
Arpaio is often the subject of numerous protests; earlier this summer, opponents of Arizona’s anti-illegal immigration bill chanted, “Sheriff Joe, we are here. We will not live in fear.” Undaunted by criticism, he has been elected to office five times and has already raised $2 million for his next run for re-election in 2012.
The Justice Department is alleging that Arpaio violated civil rights laws by “unlawful searches and seizures, discriminatory police conduct, and a failure to provide basic services to individuals with limited English.”
Arpaio was taken to court this week after the Justice Department filed a lawsuit accusing him of obstructing their investigation. Arpaio’s office ignored repeated requests by the Department for documents and tours of certain facilities.
Thomas Perez from the Department’s civil rights division called Arpaio’s actions “unprecedented” and lamented the fact that the government “was forced to resort to litigation to gain access to public documents and facilities.”
Arpaio responded to the allegations at a press conference on Thursday, saying, “This is the people of Arizona they are going against, using me as a puppet. They’re not going to put handcuffs on this sheriff. I’m not going to surrender!” He told ABC News that the federal government should be thanking him for “all of the hard work that we are doing assisting them.” He considers the allegations a “ruse” and denies racially profiling Latinos.
Arpaio’s office is faced with losing federal grants if it is found to have acted with discrimination. Legal troubles continue to grow as a federal grand jury in Phoenix is also investigating alleged intimidation of county workers by evening visits to their homes.
The sheriff has said that he will not be “intimidated” and has vowed to fight. “I’m going to continue, maybe tomorrow, to enforce all the illegal immigration laws.”
For more information, please see:
ABC News-Controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Under Investigation for Allegedly Violating Civil Rights-3 September 2010
NY Times-Justice Dept. Sues Sheriff Over Bias Investigation-2 September 2010
LA Times-U.S. sues Arizona sheriff in civil rights probe-2 September 2010
