Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Justice Department Sues Sheriff Joe For Not Cooperating With Investigation
TPM Muckraker
Ryan J. Reilly | September 2, 2010, 12:33PM
The Justice Department on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona for refusing to fully cooperate with the department’s investigation of alleged national origin discrimination in the course of immigration enforcement.
DOJ has been looking into whether Arpaio is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act since March 2009. The controversial Arpaio passed a deadline last month to provide DOJ with the documents they requested, and his lawyer met with DOJ last week.
The Justice Department said at the time it was “hopeful” that Arpaio would cooperate following the meeting, but in a statement said on Thursday that it had “[exhausted] all cooperative measures” to gain access to the requested documents and facilities.
DOJ is unaware of any other police department of sheriff’s office that has refused to cooperate with an investigation in the past 30 years, making Maricopa County “an extreme outlier,” said the department.
“The actions of the sheriff’s office are unprecedented. It is unfortunate that the department was forced to resort to litigation to gain access to public documents and facilities,” Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.
Arpaio’s lawyer Robert Driscoll, when reached by TPM, said he was still reviewing the filing and had no comment.
DOJ’s lawsuit is embedded below.
I’m Sheriff Joe, I can break the law whenever the hell I want to. Now, show me your papers!
Morons on the Right are gonna have a field-day with this.
I wish they would make him wear pink underwear..
😆
Pink underwear
One of Arpaio’s most visible public-relations actions was the introduction of pink underwear, which the Maricopa County Sheriff’s website cites as being, “world famous.”[38] 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.[39]
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.[40]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio
Tent City
Arpaio set up a “Tent City” as an extension of the Maricopa County Jail.[31] Tent City is located in a yard next to a more permanent structure containing toilets, showers and an area for meals.[32] It has become notable particularly because of Phoenix’s extreme temperatures.
During the summer of 2003, when outside temperatures exceeded 110 °F (43 °C), Arpaio said to complaining inmates, “It’s 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents, have to wear full body armor, and they didn’t commit any crimes, so shut your mouths.”[33] Tent City is criticized by groups contending that there are violations of human and constitutional rights.[34] Those critical of Apraio also point out that the vast majority of inmates within Tent City have not been convicted; rather, they are mearly awaiting trial.[35] Arpaio’s claim that these inmates committed crimes, they argue, reflects Arpaio’s contempt for the American Constitution and the explicit right it grants to a “presumption of innocence.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio
Arpaio promotes himself as “America’s Toughest Sheriff.”[1][2] He has become controversial for aggressive publicity seeking,[3] retaliation against political enemies,[4] abuse of power,[5] civil rights violations,[6] financial mismanagement,[7] and his outspoken stance against illegal immigration.[8] He has become a flash-point for controversy surrounding Arizona’s SB1070 anti-illegal-immigrant act.[9] He is currently the subject of FBI,[10] United States Department of Justice,[11] and Federal Grand Jury[12] investigations for civil rights violations and abuse of power, and is the defendant in a federal class-action suit for racial profiling.[13] Arpaio was once widely popular among voters in Arizona,[14] however his popularity has collapsed over the last three years.[15]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Arpaio