Joe Arpaio

Joe Arpaio

Joseph M. Arpaio (born June 14, 1932 in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States) is a law enforcement officer and the sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Arpaio, who promotes himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff," cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9806EED71039F935A25756C0A9649C8B63 |title= Another Plot Against Tough Sheriff, With a Twist |publisher="New York Times" |date=2002-05-16 ] [The original source for the sobriquet "America's Toughest Sheriff" is unknown, however both Arpaio and his press relations staff aggressively promote its use. Note Arpaio's book, titled "America's Toughest Sheriff."] is controversial for his approach to operating the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. He has a large number of vocal supporters as well as detractors. His practices have been criticized by organizations such as Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Arizona Ecumenical Council, the American Jewish Committee, and the Arizona chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. [Citation|url=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0413gordonarpaio0413.html|date=13 April, 2008|title=Phoenix Mayor Gordon calls for FBI investigation of Arpaio|publisher=The Arizona Republic]

History and law-enforcement background

Arpaio's mother died while giving birth to him, and his father (a grocery store owner) required the assistance of relatives to care for him. He completed high school and worked in his father's business until age 18 when he enlisted in the United States Army. [ [http://www.sheriffjoe.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=14&Itemid=29] ]

Arpaio served in the Army from 1950-1954 in the Medical Detachment Division (Arpaio had a talent for typing), stationed in France for part of the time as a military policeman. [ [http://www.sheriffjoe.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=30] ]

Following his discharge from the Army, he moved to Washington, D.C. and became a policeman in 1954, moving in 1957 to Las Vegas, Nevada. He would serve in Nevada only six months before obtaining a job as a Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. [ [http://www.sheriffjoe.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=35] ] During his 25-year tenure with DEA, he was stationed in both Turkey and Mexico, and eventually advanced to the position of head of the DEA's Arizona branch where he served before his retirement. [ [http://www.sheriffjoe.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=37] ]

Arpaio successfully campaigned for the office of Maricopa County Sheriff in 1992. Since then, he has successfully won re-election in 1996, 2000, and 2004 with considerable support of the county voters. [ cite web |url=http://recorder.maricopa.gov/electionresults/electionresults.aspx |title=Maricopa County Election Results |accessdate=2008-08-26 ]

He married Ava Arpaio in 1958. The couple currently have two children and four grandchildren. [ [http://www.sheriffjoe.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=36] ]

Actions as Maricopa County Sheriff

During his tenure as Maricopa County Sheriff, Arpaio has instituted or strengthened several of the following crime prevention programs: [Citation
url=http://www.mcso.org/index.php?a=GetModule&mn=Crime_Prevention
title=Crime Prevention Programs for Kids and Adults
author=Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
date=June 18, 2008
publisher=MCSO.org
accessdate=2008-06-18
]

*bicycle registration
*block watches
*child identification and fingerprinting
*"Operation Identification" (for marking valuables)
*"Operation Notification" (which identifies business owners during times of emergency)
*"Project Lifeline" (which provides free cellular phones to domestic violence victims)
*"S.T.A.R.S." (Sheriffs Teaching Abuse Resistance to Students)
*an annual summer camp for kids near Payson.

One of the most successful programs maintained by Arpaio is the all-volunteer civilian Posse program. Though Maricopa County operated the Posse for 50 years prior to Arpaio's election, Arpaio greatly expanded the program through heavy recruiting. The volunteers perform many duties for the sheriff's office:

*search and rescue
*emergency communications
*prisoner transport
*traffic control
*backup for sworn deputies
*office administrative duties
*Holiday Mall Patrol (which provides motorist assistance and security for shoppers during the holiday shopping season)
*deadbeat parent details targeting men and women with outstanding arrest warrants for failure to pay child support.

Arpaio has also included on the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office website an online deck of cards featuring pictures of deadbeat parents, amounts owed and last known whereabouts. Later, he published mugshots of all inmates booked into the county jail, which are available for viewing on the county website for three days after an inmate's arrest.

In the fall of 2006, Arpaio could be seen in political advertisements for Proposition 204, which in effect limits animal cruelty in farming.

Changes to jail operations

Arpaio runs Maricopa County's jails, which house inmates serving jail sentences, as well as pretrial detainees, who are legally innocent until proven guilty.

Arpaio believes that inmates should be treated as harshly as legally possible to emphasize the punishment aspect of their incarceration. Thus, upon his initial election, Arpaio began instituting the controversial changes for which he would later become noted.

Arpaio began to serve inmates surplus food including outdated and oxidized green bologna [cite news
url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4196/is_20000910/ai_n10638443
last= Cart
first= Julie
title= Sheriff draws ire for new 'jail cam,' special inmate diet
date= 2000-09-10
publisher= Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
accessdate= 2007-07-31
] and limited meals to twice daily. Meal costs would be reduced to 90 cents per day; as of 2007 Arpaio states that he has managed to reduce costs to 30 cents per day. Certain food items were banned from the county jail, mainly coffee (which also reduced "coffee attacks" on corrections officers), but later salt and pepper were removed from the jail (at a purported taxpayer savings of $20,000/year).

Arpaio banned smoking in the county jail. He also removed pornographic magazines (the ban was later upheld in court) and weightlifting equipment. Entertainment was limited to G-rated movies; the cable TV system (mandated by court order) was blocked by Arpaio to limit viewing to those stations Arpaio deems to be "educational", mainly Animal Planet, Disney Channel, The Weather Channel, A&E, CNN, and the local government access channel.

Arpaio also instituted a program for inmates to study while in jail and to try to recover from drug abuse. "Hard Knocks High" lays claim as the only approved high school program in any American jail.Fact|date=May 2008 Another jail program, called "ALPHA", is aimed solely at getting inmates away from drug abuse.

In October 2005, Arpaio started mandatory two-week English classes for non-English-speaking inmates at his jails. Classes last two hours a day. The curriculum comprises the three branches of government, how a bill becomes law, state government, law enforcement and court services, and jailhouse "situational" terminology. At the end of the two-week course, inmates are required to take a test to see how well they have learned about American government, the words to "God Bless America", and the communication of health and safety needs. In response to critics, Arpaio responded, "These inmates happen to be incarcerated in the United States of America and in Maricopa County where I run the jails. We speak English here, not foreign languages."

In February 2007, Arpaio instituted an in-house radio station he calls KJOE. [cite news
url= http://www.kpho.com/news/10932222/detail.html
title= Arpaio Launches KJOE Radio
date= 2007-02-05
publisher= KPHO.com
accessdate= 2008-08-20
] Arpaio's radio station broadcasts classical music, opera, Frank Sinatra hits, obscenity-free patriotic music, and educational programming, from the basement of the county jail, and operates five days a week, four hours each day. In March 2007, the Maricopa County Jail hosted "Inmate Idol" [cite news
url= http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0324idle0324.html
last= Villa
first= Judi
title= Inmates cut loose in 'Idol' knockoff; Jail contest aims to build self-esteem
date= 2007-03-24
publisher= The Arizona Republic
accessdate= 2007-09-19
] , a takeoff on the popular TV show.

Tent City

Arpaio set-up a "Tent City" as an extension of the Maricopa County Jail (coord|33|25|40|N|112|07|26|W|type:landmark_region:US-AZ|display=inline|name=Maricopa County Jail). Although often cited by Arpaio as unique, many prisons and jails throughout the United States have used, and continue to use, tents to house inmates. [See, among others, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E5D9133BF936A15755C0A965948260] Arpaio's tent city jail has become notable particularly because of Phoenix's extreme temperatures. Daytime temperatures inside the tents have been reported as high as 150 degrees in the top bunks. [ [http://www.kpho.com/news/14205568/detail.html AWOL Soldiers Serving Sentences At Tent City - Phoenix News Story - KPHO Phoenix ] ] During the summer, fans and water are supplied in the tents. [http://www.sheriffjoe.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=49]

When Arpaio took office, inmates were routinely being released early due to overcrowding. Arpaio believed that "courts, not head count" should determine when an inmate is released, and that no officer should be deterred from making an arrest for fear that the inmate would be released due to jail overcrowding.

However, a new jail would have cost Maricopa County taxpayers around US$70 million. So instead, Arpaio obtained surplus tents from the military, and established Tent City in a parking lot adjacent to one of the jail facilities. As an announcement to future inmates that they should not expect early release upon overcrowding, but more tents instead, Arpaio added a (pink neon) "Vacancy" sign to the outside of Tent City. The original sign was destroyed in an inmate riot, but was quickly replaced. A second Tent City was opened in 1996 adjacent to another jail facility, and houses female inmates.

According to former Sheriff's Office employees, Arpaio emptied an entire floor of one jail to help fill the tent city when it was opened. [ [http://www.pww.org/article/view/4786/1/202/ People's Weekly World - The sheriff who issues pink underwear ] ]

During the summer of 2003, when outside temperatures exceeded convert|110|F|C|0|sp=us, which is higher than average, Arpaio said to complaining inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your damn mouths." [Citation
url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20030725-2230-phoenixheat.html
title=Phoenix is sizzling through what could be the hottest July on record
author=Ananda Shorey
date=July 25, 2003
publisher=signonsandiego.com
accessdate=2007-10-20
] Inmates were given permission to wear only their pink underwear.

Tent City has been criticized by groups contending these are violations of human and constitutional rights, including British former prisoner and now journalist for The Guardian, Erwin James [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/sep/05/prisons.criminaljustice The Guardian Online - A Life Again] ] , but has been simultaneously praised by those favoring Arpaio's "get tough on crime" approachWho?.

In response to requests, the Sheriff's office offers group tours of its unique and controversial Tent City. In addition, Arpaio has instituted "S.M.A.R.T." Tents (Shocking Mainstream Adolescents into Resisting Temptation), a voluntary program for middle-school students who are bussed to an area adjacent to Tent City and, for the next 24 hours, are shown the reality of jail life.

Volunteer chain gangs

Shortly after taking office, Arpaio reinstituted chain gangs, a form of inmate labor that had been virtually eliminated in the United States. According to Arpaio, his chain gangs are not a form of punishment, but of rehabilitation.

Jail inmates with disciplinary problems are sent to lockdown, where they are confined to a four-person cell for 23 hours a day. Once in lockdown, low-risk inmates can volunteer for unpaid work on a chain gang as a step to rejoining the general jail population.After 30 days on the chain gang, inmates are eligible to rejoin the general population. Chain gangs perform public-service tasks such as creating fire breaks, cleaning up graffiti, weeding, removing trash, and burying deceased homeless in the county cemetery.They work eight-hours a day, six days a week, mainly outside.Like the rest of the county's jail population, chain-gang members wear traditional black-and-white-striped uniforms and caps.

Arpaio later expanded the chain gang concept by instituting female volunteer chain gangs. [Citation
url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Southwest/10/29/chain.gang.reut/
title=Sheriff runs female chain gang
date=October 29, 2003
author=Reuters
publisher=CNN
accessdate=2007-10-20
] Female inmates work seven hours a day (7 am to 2 pm), six days a week. He has also instituted the world's first all-juvenile volunteer chain gang; volunteers earn high school credit toward a diploma. [Citation
url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0403/11/lt.01.html
title=CNN reporter Eric Phillips interviews Sheriff Arpaio and a juvenile offender
date=March 11, 2004
publisher=CNN
accessdate=2007-10-20
(CNN Live Today transcript)
]

Pink underwear

One of Arpaio's most visible public relations successes was the introduction of pink underwear, which the Maricopa County Sheriff's website cites as being "world famous." [ [http://www.mcso.org/include/modules/Our_Jails/Custody_Operations/laundry.php Laundry Services ] ] Arpaio has claimed that that traditional white underwear, labeled with Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, was being smuggled out of the jails and sold on the streets, and he thus had the underwear dyed pink, believing that pink is not considered a "macho" color, and would not be stolen.

Arpaio subsequently started to sell customized pink boxers (with the Maricopa County Sheriff's logo and "Go Joe") as a fund-raiser for Sheriff's Posse Association. Despite allegations of misuse of funds received from these sales, Arpaio declined to provide an accounting for the money [Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-05-27/news/blowing-his-cool/
title=Blowing His Cool
date=May 27, 1999
author=Tony Ortega
publisher=Phoenix New Times
accessdate=2008-06-19
] .

Arpaio's success in gaining press coverage with the pink underwear resulted in him extending the use of the color. He introduced pink handcuffs, using the event to promote his book, "Sheriff Joe Arpaio, America's Toughest Sheriff". [Citation
url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0114052pinkcuffs1.html
title=Not Pretty In Pink
date=January 14, 2005
publisher=The Smoking Gun
accessdate=2008-06-19
] . Later, Arpaio ordered that sheets, socks, towels, and other fabric items be dyed pink.

The outer uniform is not pink, but traditional black-and-white. This was part of another Arpaio-instituted change. One day, allegedly, Arpaio thought he saw an inmate escapee in the then-existing sea-green inmate uniform outside the jail (it turned out to be a hospital worker in scrubs). Later, he noted that the orange uniforms of the chain gangs were similar to uniforms used by county workers (the orange being needed for safety). Believing that inmates should be easily identifiable should they escape, Arpaio re-instituted the traditional black-and-white inmate uniforms, which even with the advent of everything else being pink has not changed.

Underwear march

In 2005, nearly 700 maximum-security prisoners were marched the four blocks from Towers Jail to the newly opened Lower Buckeye Jail, wearing only their underwear and flip-flops to prevent the concealment of weapons. Prisoners were strip-searched when they left Towers Jail and again when they reached their destination. [ cite web
first=Katie
last=McDevitt
url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/39665
title=March in underwear calls attention to new jails
publisher=East Valley Tribune
date=2005-04-16
]

"It's a security issue," Arpaio said. "If you let them wear their clothes, they can conceal the fake keys and everything else. [Citation
url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?s_site=azcentral&f_site=azcentral&f_sitename=Arizona+Republic%2C+The+(Phoenix%2C+AZ)&p_theme=gannett&p_product=ARPB&p_action=search&p_perpage=10&p_maxdocs=200&p_queryname=700&s_search_type=customized&p_text_base-0=inmate+army&p_field_base-0=&p_bool_base-1=AND&p_text_base-1=&p_field_base-1=&p_bool_base-2=AND&p_text_base-2=&p_field_base-2=&p_sort=_rank_%3AD&p_text_YMD_date-0=4%2F15%2F2005&p_field_YMD_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_YMD_date-0=date%3AB%2CE&Search=Search
title=County moving inmate 'army' into 2 new jails
date=April 15, 2005
publisher=Arizona Republic
author=Judi Villa
]

Webcasts of pretrial detainees

Starting in July 2000, the Maricopa County Sheriff's website hosted Jail Cam, a 24-hour Internet webcast of images from cameras in the Madison Street Jail, a facility which processed and housed only pretrial detainees. The stated goals of the broadcasts were the deterrence of future crime and improved public scrutiny of jail procedures. The cameras showed arrestees being brought in in handcuffs, fingerprinted, booked, and taken to holding cells; with the site receiving millions of hits per day. [cite web |first=Mindy |last=Sink |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEFD61631F937A1575BC0A9669C8B63&scp=1&sq=arpaio%20cameras%20jail&st=cse |title=Hoping People Watch Jail And Won't Want to Visit |publisher="The New York Times" |date=August 24, 2000 ] Twenty-four former detainees brought suit against the Sheriff's office, arguing that their Fourteenth Amendment rights of due process had been violated.

U.S. District Court Judge Earl H. Carroll held in favor of the former detainees, issuing an injunction ending the webcasts. By a 2 to 1 vote, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the injunction, with the majority opinion stating: :...Second, Sheriff Arpaio argues that the cameras are justified by the County’s interest in having its pretrial detention centers open to public scrutiny. We have given prison officials wide latitude in administering pretrial detention facilities, in guaranteeing detainees’ attendance at trial, and in promoting prison safety. But we fail to see how turning pretrial detainees into the unwilling objects of the latest reality show serves any of these legitimate goals. As the Supreme Court has recognized, " [i] nmates . . . are not like animals in a zoo to be filmed and photographed at will by the public or by media reporters, however ‘educational’ the process may be for others. [Citation
url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/ericjsinrod/2004-09-01-sinrod_x.htm
date=9 August 2004
title= Jailhouse Webcams: Courts aren't seeing their way clear
publisher=USA Today
] [http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/coa/newopinions.nsf/870530A1FDABD79688256EE800580191/$file/0315698.pdf Demery v. Arpaio, Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Arizona] ]

In his dissenting opinion, Circuit Judge Carlos Bea wrote::...What the majority avoids—perhaps because of the all-too-predictable result—is to ask the question basic to any review questioning the validity of governmental action under a rational basis analysis: were the webcasts reasonably related to the purpose of deterring public behavior that could result in pretrial detention? The answer clearly is Yes. ... Similarly unexamined is the Sheriff’s purpose of providing transparency of jail operations as a civic good.

:Sheriff Arpaio’s methods to achieve his purposes of public deterrence and governmental transparency may not suit the fine sensibilities of some group advocates and jurists. But absent a violation of the constitutional rights of Plaintiffs—and I see none—such differences of opinion must be vindicated, if at all, in the ballot box, not in the courtroom.

Policy on illegal immigration

In 2005, Arizona passed a state law making it a felony, punishable by up to two years in jail, to smuggle illegal immigrants across the border. Smuggling illegal immigrants was already a federal crime, but Arizona passed its law, effectively authorizing local police to enforce immigration law, out of frustration that the federal government had not done enough to control illegal border crossings. Maricopa County Attorney Andrew P. Thomas issued a legal opinion that persons being smuggled can be considered co-conspirators to the smuggling and can be charged under the same law. In a court challenge to this interpretation, the law's sponsor said it was never intended to target the immigrants themselves, only the smugglers.Citation
url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/10/us/10smuggle.html?ex=1304913600&en=d28539b33576bf6b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
title=Arizona County Uses New Law to Look for Illegal Immigrants
author=Randal C. Archibald
date=May 10, 2006
publisher=The New York times
accessdate=2007-10-20
] A judge upheld Thomas's opinion, saying there was no evidence that legislators "intended to exclude any prosecution for conspiracy to commit human smuggling." [Citation
url=http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8I511001&show_article=1
title=Arizona Upholds Immigrant Smuggling Law
author=Jacques Billeaud
date=June 9, 2006
publisher=Breitbart.com
accessdate=2008-06-18
]

Arpaio has instructed his sheriff's deputies and members of his civilian posse to arrest illegal immigrants. Arpaio told the "Washington Times", "My message is clear: If you come here and I catch you, you're going straight to jail. [...] I'm not going to turn these people over to federal authorities so they can have a free ride back to Mexico. I'll give them a free ride to my jail." [cite web |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/may/10/20060510-115750-3996r/ |title=Arizona sheriff uses posse, new law to jail illegals |publisher="The Washington Times" |date=May 11, 2006 ]

As of August 2006, there had been 263 arrests and 121 convictions of smugglers under the state law, often known as the Coyote law. No court had convicted a smuggled person as a co-conspirator. [Citation
url=http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/ss/border/23369.php
date=August 21, 2006
title=Smuggling conspiracy cases a bust for Arizona so far
author=The Arizona Republic
publisher=The Tucson Citizen
accessdate=2007-10-20
]

In April 2008, an editorial in "The New York Times" denounced a proposed expansion of the local enforcement of immigration law to all of Arizona, offering immigration sweeps by the Maricopa County posse as an example of abuse of the program. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/opinion/30wed2.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=arpaio&st=nyt&oref=slogin Pulling Back the Immigration Posses - New York Times ] ]

Alleged assassination conspiracy

James Saville was arrested in July 1999 for allegedly conspiring to murder Joe Arpaio with a pipe bomb. Saville had just completed an 18-month sentence for arson for attempting to blow up his high school by filling it with gas from 37 opened bunsen burners. While in prison, Saville had drawn crude bomb plans and expressed to a jailhouse snitch the desire to kill the prosecutor and judge in his arson case. He was arrested the day after his release while assembling a bomb in the presence of an undercover sheriff's officer. A jury decided that undercover officers from the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office had entrapped Saville by turning his assassination plans toward Sheriff Arpaio, and found Saville not guilty. [Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-08-05/news/the-plot-to-assassinate-arpaio/ |title=The Plot To Assassinate Arpaio
author=John Dougherty
date=August 5, 1999
publisher=Phoenix new times News
accessdate=2007-10-20
]

Failed recall petition

In November 2007 a group filed the paperwork to begin an effort to recall Arpaio and County Prosecutor Andrew P. Thomas from office for allegedly disobeying and violating the United States Constitution and abuse of power. [ cite web |url= http://www.azpbs.org/horizon/poll/2007/11-20-07.htm |title= Cronkite-Eight Poll |publisher= Arizona State University PBS channel |date= November 20, 2007 ] Their petition to get a recall question for the two officials onto the next general election ballot failed when the group was unable to collect the more than 200,000 registered voter signatures required. cite web |url= http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/190167.php |title= Recall Petition Targets Sheriff Joe Arpaio |publisher= The Jawa Report |date= November 19, 2007 ] In a survey taken by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication while the petition was in circulation, nearly three out of four respondents opposed the recall, and 65 percent of the respondents held a positive opinion of Arpaio. [ cite web |url= http://cronkitenews.jmc.asu.edu/?p=245 |title=MARICOPA COUNTY VOTERS SUPPORT THOMAS, ARPAIO OVER RECALL EFFORT |publisher= Cronkite News Servive |date= November 20, 2007 ]

Controversy and criticism

To several organizations such as the ACLU and Amnesty International, Arpaio's actions may be based less on a desire to serve the public and to lower crime, but more on demagoguery and grandstanding that does not serve the public welfare. Amnesty International issued a report critical of the treatment of inmates in Maricopa County facilitiesCitation
url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engAMR510511997?open&of=eng-2am
date=1 August 1997
title=Ill-treatment of inmates in Maricopa County jails, Arizona
publisher=Amnesty International
] . The family members of inmates who have died in jail custody have filed lawsuits against the sheriff’s office. The lawsuits have cost Maricopa County more than $43 million in settlement claims during Arpaio's tenure.Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2008-06-12/news/judge-neil-wake-takes-action-in-the-jail-conditions-lawsuit-against-arpaio/
date=12 June 2008
title= Judge Neil Wake takes action in the jail conditions lawsuit against Arpaio
publisher=Phoenix New Times
] [Citation
url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/115427
date=3 May 2008
title= Special Report: Health and death behind bars
publisher=East Valley Tribune
]

From 2004 through November 2007, Arpaio was the target of 2,150 lawsuits in U.S. District Court and hundreds more in Maricopa County courts; 50 times as many prison-conditions lawsuits as the New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston jail systems combined. [Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-12-20/news/inhumanity-has-a-price/
date=20 May 2007
title= Inhumanity Has a Price
author=John Dickerson
publisher=Phoenix New Times
]

Arpaio is named in a class-action lawsuit, Hart v. Arpaio, brought by Phoenix attorney Debra Hill and the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of jail inmates. The lawsuit centers on the treatment of pretrial detainees, who are legally innocent until proven guilty. The lawsuit claims that Arpaio is violating the constitutional rights of those detainees. The trial in the lawsuit began on August 12, 2008. [Citation
url=http://www.aclu.org/prison/conditions/36387prs20080812.html
date=12 August 2008
title= ACLU In Court Today Challenging Conditions At Maricopa County Jail
]

By mid-2007, more than $50 million in claims had been filed against the sheriff's office and Maricopa County.

In her book on prison policy "The Use of Force by Detention Officers", Arizona State University criminal justice professor Marie L. Griffin reported on a 1998 study commissioned by Arpaio to examine recidivism rates based on conditions of confinement. Comparing recidivism rates under Arpaio to those under his predecessor, the study found "there was no significant difference in recidivism observed between those offenders released in 1989-1990 and those released in 1994-1995."cite book
last=Griffin
first=Mary L
url=http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=8SkFHEBeEqkC&dq=griffin+%22The+Use+of+Force+by+Detention+Officers,&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=r5ynnnX_AH&sig=sfEbQmqP7XWW4f5BJ3BML8usKVQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA7,M1
title=The Use of Force by Detention Officers
publisher=LFB Scholarly Publishing
isbn= 1-931-20201-X
pages=42
]

Inmate deaths and injuries

Family members of inmates who have died or been injured in jail custody have filed lawsuits against the sheriff’s office. Maricopa County has paid more than $43 million in settlement claims during Arpaio's tenure.Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2008-06-12/news/judge-neil-wake-takes-action-in-the-jail-conditions-lawsuit-against-arpaio/
date=12 June 2008
title= Judge Neil Wake takes action in the jail conditions lawsuit against Arpaio
publisher=Phoenix New Times
] [Citation
url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/115427
date=3 May 2008
title= Special Report: Health and death behind bars
publisher=East Valley Tribune
]

Charles Agster

Charles Agster, a 33-year-old mentally handicapped man, died in the county jail three days after being forced by sheriff's officers into a restraint chair used for controlling combative arrestees. Agster's parents had been taking him to a psychiatric hospital because he was exhibiting paranoia, then called police when he refused to leave a convenience store where they had stopped enroute. Officers took Agster to the Madison Street jail, placed a "spit hood" over his face and strapped him to the chair, where he had an apparent seizure and lost consciousness. He was declared brain dead three days later. A medical examiner later concluded that Agster died of complications of methamphetamine intoxication. In a subsequent lawsuit, an attorney for the sheriff's office described the amount of methamphetamine in Agster's system as 17 times the known lethal dose. The lawsuit resulted in a $9 million jury verdict against the county, the sheriff's office, and Correctional Health Services. [Citation
url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/61786
date=25 May 2006
title= Jury awards $9M in jail death
author=Gary Grado
publisher=East Valley Tribune
]

cott Norberg

One major controversy includes the 1996 death of inmate Scott Norberg, a former Brigham Young University football wide receiver, who died while in custody of the Sheriff's office. [Citation
title=Family of ex-BYU. football player to get $8.25 million
url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=DSNB&d_place=DSNB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F364E9124BE074E&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
publisher=Associated Press
] Norberg was arrested for assaulting a police officer in Mesa, Arizona, after neighbors in a residential area had reported a delirious man walking in their neighborhood. [Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-04-15/news/murder-on-madison-the-norberg-remix/2
title= Murder on Madison: The Norberg Remix
date=April 15, 1999
publisher=Phoenix New Times
accessdate=2008-05-09
] Arpaio's office repeatedly claimed Norberg was also high on methamphetamine, but a blood toxicology performed post-mortem was inconclusive. Norberg did, however, have methamphetamine in his urine, proving that he had used the drug at some point fairly recently before his death. During his internment, evidence suggests detention officers shocked Norberg several times with a stun-gun. According to an investigation by Amnesty International, Norberg was already handcuffed and face down when officers dragged him from his cell and placed him in a restraint chair with a towel covering his face. After Norberg's corpse was discovered, detention officers accused Norberg of attacking them as they were trying to restrain him. The cause of his death, according to the Maricopa County medical examiner, was due to "positional asphyxia". Sheriff Arpaio investigated and subsequently cleared detention officers of any criminal wrongdoing. [Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/Issues/1997-03-20/news/news.html
title=Flashes
date=March 20, 1997
publisher=Phoenix New Times News
accessdate=2007-10-20
]

Norberg’s parents filed a lawsuit against Arpaio and his office. The lawsuit was settled for $8.25 million (USD). [Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-01-14/news/the-8-million-victim/
title=The $8 Million Victim
date=January 14, 1999
publisher=Phoenix New Times News
accessdate=2008-05-10
]

Brian Crenshaw

Brian Crenshaw was a blind inmate allegedly beaten into a coma by guards working under Arpaio. Crenshaw suffered injuries that included a perforated intestine and a broken neck. He later died at a local hospital.

Crenshaw's family filed a lawsuit against Arpaio and his office, which resulted in an award of $2 million dollars. [Citation
url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/25/20080425manning-letter0425.html
date=April 25 2008
title=Abuse lawsuits against Arpaio settled
author=JJ Hensley and Yvonne Wingett
publisher=Arizona Daily Star
accessdate=2008-05-09
] As in the Scott Norberg case, it was alleged that Arpaio's office destroyed evidence in the case. In the Crenshaw case, the attorney who represented the case before a jury alleged digital video evidence was destroyed. [Citation
url=http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2008/04/14/20080414mcsoallegations04142008-CR.html
tile=Local attorney speaking out against Sheriff Arpaio
date=April 14, 2008
author=Melissa Gonzalo
publisher=Arizona Daily Star
accessdate=2005-05-11
]

Richard Post

Richard Post was a paraplegic inmate arrested in 1996 for possession of marijuana and criminal trespass. Post was placed in a restraint chair by guards and his neck was broken in the process. The event, caught on video, shows guards smiling and laughing while Post is being injured. Because of his injuries, Post has lost much of the use of his arms. [Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1997-01-23/news/jailers-show-a-paraplegic-who-s-boss/1
title=Jailers Show a Paraplegic Who's Boss
author=Tony Ortega
date=January 23, 1997
publisher=Phoenix new timesnews
accessdate=2007-10-20
] Post settled his claims against the Sheriff's office for $800,000. [Citation
url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-72732952.html
date=April 1, 2001
title=Star of Justice
author=Barry Graham
publisher=Harper's Magazine
]

Jeremy Flanders

In 1996, Jeremy Flanders was attacked by inmates at Tent City who used rebar tent stakes, which were not concreted into the ground. Although these stakes had been used as weapons in a previous riot at the facility, the Sheriff's office chose not to secure them properly. During the trial, the defendant "presented evidence that, among other things, the Sheriff and his deputies had actual knowledge that prisoners used rebar tent stakes and tent poles as weapons and did nothing to prevent it." Furthermore, "the Sheriff admitted knowing about, and in fact intentionally designing, some conditions at Tent City that created a substantial risk of inmate violence."After the attack: "another inmate entered the tent and found Flanders unconscious, gasping for air, and spewing blood out of his mouth, nose and ears. Flanders had been bloodied and beaten so badly that the other inmate initially did not recognize Flanders." Flanders suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the attack. On appeal, Flanders was awarded $635,532, of which Arpaio was personally responsible for thirty-five percent. [Citation
url=http://www.cofad1.state.az.us/opinionfiles/cv/cv010239.pdf
date=September 26, 2002
title=Appeal from the Superior Court in Maricopa County, Cause No. CV 97-008668
author=The Honorable Jeffrey S. Cates, Judge
]

Irish High Court extradition refusal

Patrick Colleary was a Catholic Priest accused of molesting an altar boy in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1978. Facing two counts of felony sexual conduct with a minor, he fled to his native Ireland and fought extradition. An Irish High Court judge, Philip O'Sullivan, refused to extradite Colleary back to Arizona, writing in his decision that Arpaio "gloated over the inhumane treatment he dishes out to his inmates" and "appeared to take a chillingly sadistic pleasure in his role as incarcerator. It was the duty of any Irish court to see that no citizen was handed over to such a regime." [Citation
url=http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=%5CNation%5Carchive%5C200507%5CNAT20050729c.html
title=Ireland Refuses to Extradite Alleged Pedophile to Arizona
author=John Turner Gilliland
date=July 29, 2005
publisher=Cybercast News Service
accessdate=2007-10-24
] An Icelandic court in 1997 had come to the same conclusion on a different case. [ [http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1997-10-23/news/iceland-5-arpaio-0/ Iceland 5, Arpaio 0, page 1 - News - Phoenix New Times - Phoenix New Times ] ]

Enforcement acts of deputies and posse

Botched raid

In 2004, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office SWAT team led a raid on an Ahwatukee home in a gated subdivision, looking for illegal weapons. No illegal weapons were found, but during the raid, the house burned down, killing a dog, and an armored vehicle rolled into a neighbor's parked car. [Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2004-08-05/news/dog-day-afternoon/full
title=Dog Day Afternoon
author=John Dougherty
date=August 5, 2004
publisher=Phoenix new times News
accessdate=2007-10-20
]

Prostitution sting

Sheriff Arpaio has been criticized for allowing his deputies and civilian posse members to engage in sex acts during an undercover prostitution "sting". In November, 2003, Sheriff's deputies arrested over 70 people for prostitution and solicitation. The officers arrested alleged prostitutes and their customers in more than thirty homes and ten massage parlors in the Phoenix area. Records indicated that several of the officers disrobed, fondled the breasts and genitals of the alleged prostitutes, and allowed their penises to be touched during the operation. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office stated that the Sheriff's office had gone too far in allowing this behavior, and sixty of the cases were thrown out. Several of the male customers in the case were prosecuted, however. [Citation
url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/?sty=23162
date=June 15, 2004
title=Sex sting went way too far
author=Kim Smith
publisher=East Valley Tribune
accessdate=2007-10-20
]

Conflicts with local news media

Arrest of "Phoenix New Times" executives

In October 2007, Arpaio's deputies arrested Village Voice Media executives and "Phoenix New Times" editors Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin on charges of revealing grand jury secrets. In July 2004, the "New Times" had published Arpaio's home address in the context of a story about his real estate dealings, which the county attorney's office is investigating as a possible crime under Arizona state law. A special prosecutor served Village Voice Media with a subpoena ordering it to produce "all documents" related to the original real estate article, as well as "all Internet web site traffic information" to a number of articles that mentioned Arpaio. The prosecutor further ordered Village Voice Media to produce the IP addresses of all visitors to the "Phoenix New Times" website since January 1, 2004, as well as what websites those readers had been to prior to visiting. As an act of "civil disobedience," [Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-10-18/news/breathtaking-abuse-of-the-constitution/1
title=Breathtaking Abuse of the Constitution
date=October 18, 2007
author= Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin
publisher=Phoenix New Times
accessdate=2007-10-20
] Lacey and Larkin published the contents of the subpoena on or around October 18, which resulted in their arrests the same day. [ [http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1019newtimes1019.html# Sheriff's deputies arrest New Times owners.] ] On the following day, the county attorney dropped the case after declining to pursue charges against the two. [Citation
url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003661135
title=No Charges for Execs Arrested in 'Phoenix Times' Case
date=October 20, 2007
author= Associated Press
publisher=Editor & Publisher
accessdate=2007-10-20
] The Attorney General's office has since been ordered to appear before Judge Ana Baca due to missing documentation - including the original grand jury subpoenas - in the case file for the investigation of the New Times publication. [Citation
url=http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/MediaRelationsAndCommunityOutreach/CourtCases/Rulings/rulingsReaditem.asp?autonumb=282
title=Ruling in the Matter of: Grand Jury
date=November 16, 2007
author= Hon. Anna M. Baca
publisher=Judicial Branch of Arizon, Maricopa County
accessdate=2007-12-06
]

On November 28, 2007, Judge Baca ruled that the subpoenas in this case were not validly issued. The special prosecutor filed the grand jury subpoenas without the consent of the grand jury. Baca's justification was a statute that had been clarified by case law and by subsequent legislation to bar such subpoena authority, unless certain reporting requirements are met. The prosecutor had not met those reporting requirements. [Citation
url=http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/MediaRelationsAndCommunityOutreach/CourtCases/Rulings/rulingsReaditem.asp?autonumb=282
title=Ruling in the Matter of: CR MISC 2007
date=November 28, 2007
author= Hon. Anna M. Baca
publisher=Judicial Branch of Arizon, Maricopa County
accessdate=2007-12-06
] In April, 2008, the New Times editors filed suit against Arpaio, County Attorney Andrew Thomas and Special Prosecutor Dennis Wilenchik, alleging negligence, conspiracy and racketeering, and State and U.S. constitutional violations of free speech rights, false imprisonment, retaliation by law enforcement and abuse of process. [Citation
url=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0430manninglawsuit0430.html
title='New Times' executives sue Arpaio
date=April 30, 2008
publisher=Arizona Republic
author=Michael Kiefer
accessdate=2008-05-10
]

Alleged harassment of "New Times" reporter

On June 11, 2008, Ray Stern, a reporter for the "Phoenix New Times", was surrounded and intimidated by several deputies while trying to examine public records at the City of Phoenix public records counter. [Citation
url=http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/2008/06/12/20080612mcsopublicrecords06122008-CR.html
author=Kevin Kennedy
title=MCSO tries to block access to public records
publisher=12 News Arizona
accessdate=2008-06-17
] Stern called City Attorney Gary Verburg, who came down and instructed the deputies that Stern had the right to view the records. The deputies then threatened to simply arrest Stern on-the-spot. Later, a city "conflict resolution manager" walked up and laid down an Arizona law book. She pointed to the section of public records law that essentially says anyone can look at any public record during business hours. City Attorney Verburg told the deputies again that Stern had the right to look at any public record. Upon hearing that, the deputies warned Stern again that if he tried to look at the documents he would be arrested. [Citation
url=http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2008/06/arpaios_thugs_threaten_to_arre.php
title=Arpaio's thugs threaten to arrest a New Times reporter for looking at public records
date=June 10, 2008
author=Ray Stern
publisher=Phoenix New Times
accessdate=2008-06-17
]

The events reported by the New Times are substantively verified in a memo drafted by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Commander James Miller. In this memo, Miller states that the deputies did threaten to arrest Stern if he touched any of the records, and that he (Miller) held one of the records out in front of Stern, saying "take it", to create a pretense to arrest Stern. Miller also reported that the situation escalated into a standoff with the Phoenix Police, when they warned him not to attempt to arrest Stern. [Citation
url=http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/Mcso%20V%20NT%20memo.pdf
title=Incident with City of Phoenix in receiving F.O.I.A. information
date=June 12, 2008
author=James Miller
publisher=Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
accessdate=2008-06-20
]

FOIA requests to mayor and other officials

In situations where government officials have been at odds with Arpaio, his office has used the Freedom of Information Act to make broad requests for records of their email and correspondence. The requests have been targeted against Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, Maricopa County Court Administrator Marcus Reinkensmeyer, and most recently, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.

Starting in March, 2008, Gordon spoke out, in a number of high-profile speeches, against racial profiling by Arpaio. On April 24, Arpaio's deputies issued a public-records request seeking the mayor's e-mails, cell phone records, and meeting calendar, as well as e-mail correspondence for Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris, City Manager Frank Fairbanks, and all of Gordon's administrative staff. The request covered every e-mail written by more than a dozen Phoenix staffers, from November to the date of the sheriff's demand. [Citation
url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2008-05-15/news/sheriff-joe-wants-to-read-phil-gordon-s-e-mail/full
title=Sheriff Joe wants to read Phil Gordon’s e-mail
date=May 15, 2008
author=Sarah Fenske
publisher=Phoenix New Times
accessdate=2008-06-20
]

Fountain Hills prank calls case

During April 2004, Arpaio became involved in more controversy when he accused the West Bridgewater, Massachusetts Police Department of being unprofessional over their handling of surveillance tapes from an AT&T store that showed a suspect making prank calls to several restaurants. Fact|date=September 2008 The calls instructed restaurant managers to strip-search female customers, including minors. Several managers were arrested as a result. Arpaio believed that the suspect in the tapes from West Bridgewater might be connected to a similar case in Fountain Hills, Arizona.

Election Results

2000 Election Results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Party (United States)
candidate = Joe Arpaio (incumbent)
votes = 572,063
percentage = 66.49
change = "n/a"
Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = Robert Ayala
votes = 227,055
percentage = 26.39
change = "n/a"
Election box candidate
party = Independent
candidate = Tom Bearup
votes = 60,401
percentage = 7.02
change = "n/a"
Election box candidate
party = "n/a"
candidate = Write-in candidate
votes = 825
percentage = 0.1
change = "n/a"
Election box majority
votes = 345,008
percentage = 40.1
change = "n/a"
Election box turnout
votes = 860,344
percentage =
change =
Election box hold with party link
winner = Republican Party (United States)
swing =

2004 Election Results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Republican Party (United States)
candidate = Joe Arpaio (incumbent)
votes = 642,923
percentage = 56.74
change = -9.75
Election box candidate with party link
party = Democratic Party (United States)
candidate = Robert Ayala
votes = 347,981
percentage = 30.71
change = +4.32
Election box candidate
party = "n/a"
candidate = Steven W. Martin
votes = 142,296
percentage = 12.56
change = "n/a"
Election box majority
votes = 294,942
percentage = 26.03
change = -14.07
Election box turnout
votes = 1,133,200
percentage =
change = +131.71
Election box hold with party link
winner = Republican Party (United States)
swing =

Books

*Joe Arpaio and Len Sherman, "America's Toughest Sheriff: How We Can Win the War Against Crime", (1996). Summit Publishing Group, ISBN 1-56530-202-8
*Joe Arpaio and Len Sherman, "Joe's Law: America's Toughest Sheriff Takes on Illegal Immigration, Drugs, and Everything Else that Threatens America", (2008). AMACOM, ISBN 0-81440-199-6

References

External links

* [http://www.mcso.org/ Maricopa County Sheriff's Office]
* [http://www.mcso.org/index.php?a=GetModule&mn=Sheriff_Bio Official Bio]
* [http://www.sheriffjoe.org/ Official Election Website]
* [http://www.arpaio.com/ "Overthrow Arpaio" (criticism site)]
* [http://www.azfamily.com/blcS.sc?search=arpaio Local News Coverage of Arpaio from azfamily.com and KTVK-3TV]
*youtube|PpNpJGlIM2w|Sheriff Joe Arpaio interview with Beverly Kidd - 6/23
* [http://www.phoenixmag.com/lifestyle/200806/what-happened-to-joe-arpaio-/1/ What Happened to Joe Arpaio?] "Phoenix Magazine"


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Joe Arpaio — Joseph M. Arpaio (* 14 de junio de 1932, Springfield, Massachusetts, EE.UU.) es un agente de policía y sheriff del Condado de Maricopa, Arizona. Se le llama el sheriff más implacable de Estados Unidos por su acercamiento controvertido en la… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Joe Arpaio — Joseph M. Arpaio (* 14. Juni 1932 in Springfield, Massachusetts) ist ein US amerikanischer Sheriff, der sich selbst als America s Toughest Sheriff (deutsch: Amerikas härtester Sheriff) bezeichnet, und als „law enforcement officer“ zuständig für… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Joe Arpaio — (né le 14 juin 1932) est un shérif du comté de Maricopa, en Arizona. Il se surnomme lui même « Le shérif le plus coriace d’Amérique »[1] ou « le shérif le plus dur d Amérique …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Arpaio — Dieser Artikel oder Abschnitt bedarf einer Überarbeitung. Näheres ist auf der Diskussionsseite angegeben. Hilf mit, ihn zu verbessern, und entferne anschließend diese Markierung. Joseph M. Arpaio (* 14. Juni 1932 in Springfield, Massachusetts)… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • List of endorsements for Joe Lieberman in the 2006 Connecticut Senate race — Note: Some who have endorsed Lieberman in the primary have pledged to support the primary s winner in the general election. Primary Endorsements The following have endorsed Joseph Lieberman in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic Senate Primary.… …   Wikipedia

  • Maricopa County Sheriff's Office controversies — The Maricopa County Sheriff s Office (MCSO) is a law enforcement agency in Maricopa County, Arizona that has been involved in many controversies since 1995. It is the largest sheriff s office in Arizona state and provides general service and… …   Wikipedia

  • Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories — A billboard questioning the validity of Barack Obama s birth certificate and by extension his eligibility to serve as President of the U. S.[1] The billboard is part of an …   Wikipedia

  • List of Italian American politicians by state — Arizona= *Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County [ [http://www.arpaio.com/joe arpaio news.htm] After listing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio as one of the top Italian American crime fighters in the last century, a Washington based advocacy… …   Wikipedia

  • Andrew Thomas (prosecutor) — Infobox Politician (general) name = Andrew Peyton Thomas imagesize = caption = order = office = 26th Maricopa County Attorney term start = January 3 2005 term end = incumbent predecessor = Richard Rick Romley successor = Incumbent birth date =… …   Wikipedia

  • KNXV-TV — Infobox Broadcast call letters = KNXV TV city = station station slogan = Make the Switch to ABC 15 ABC 15, Your Valley News Leader station branding = ABC 15 (general) ABC 15 News (newscasts) analog = 15 (UHF) digital = 56 (UHF)| other chs = (see… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”