Justice Dept. Sues Controversial Ariz. Sheriff

(AP)  The U.S. Justice Department sued Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Thursday, saying the Arizona lawman refused for more than a year to turn over records in an investigation into allegations his department discriminates against Hispanics.

The lawsuit calls Arpaio and his office's defiance "unprecedented," and said the federal government has been trying since March 2009 to get officials to comply with its probe of alleged discrimination, unconstitutional searches and seizures, and having English-only policies in his jails that discriminates against people with limited English skills.

Arpaio had been given until Aug. 17 to hand over documents it first asked for 15 months ago.

Arpaio's attorney, Robert Driscoll, declined immediate comment on the lawsuit, saying he had just received it and hadn't yet conferred with his client.

Arpaio's office had said it has fully cooperated in the jail inquiry but won't hand over additional documents into the examination of the alleged unconstitutional searches because federal authorities haven't said exactly what they were investigating.

It's the latest action against Arizona by the federal government, which earlier sued the state to stop its strict new immigration law that requires police officers to question people about their immigration status.

"The actions of the sheriff's office are unprecedented," said Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for the department's civil rights division. "It is unfortunate that the department was forced to resort to litigation to gain access to public documents and facilities."

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix and names Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the county.

Arizona's new law — most of which a federal judge has put on hold — mirrors many of the policies Arpaio has put into place in the greater Phoenix area, where he set up a hot line for the public to report immigration violations, conducts crime and immigration sweeps in heavily Latino neighborhoods and frequently raids workplaces for people in the U.S. illegally.

Arpaio believes the inquiry is focused on his immigration sweeps, patrols where deputies flood an area of a city — in some cases heavily Latino areas — to seek out traffic violators and arrest other offenders.

Critics say his deputies pull people over for minor traffic infractions because of the color of their skin so they can ask them for their proof of citizenship.

Arpaio denies allegations of racial profiling, saying people are stopped if deputies have probable cause to believe they've committed crimes and that it's only afterward that deputies find many of them are illegal immigrants.

The sheriff's office has said half of the 1,032 people arrested in the sweeps have been illegal immigrants.

Last year, the federal government stripped Arpaio of his special power to enforce federal immigration law. The sheriff continued his sweeps through the enforcement of state immigration laws.

Last year, the nearly $113 million that the county received from the federal government accounted for about 5 percent of the county's $2 billion budget. Arpaio's office said it receives $3 million to $4 million each year in federal funds.

In a separate investigation, a federal grand jury in Phoenix is examining allegations that Arpaio has abused his powers with actions such as intimidating county workers by showing up at their homes at nights and on weekends.

[dadirt]

Aliens file complaints against the local police? Or is this some liberal trying to make the border crisis racis or illegal. If the Feds would grow a pair and allow the border and the illegals to be treated like illegals instead like "better than US citizens" we would not have these problems. Now the sheriff or his county has to spend a bunch of money to defend himself. Is that part of Obama's put people back to work plan "Give all the lawyers work"?

[dadirt]

Aliens file complaints against the local police? Or is this some liberal trying to make the border crisis racis or illegal. If the Feds would grow a pair and allow the border and the illegals to be treated like illegals instead like "better than US citizens" we would not have these problems. Now the sheriff or his county has to spend a bunch of money to defend himself. Is that part of Obama's put people back to work plan "Give all the lawyers work"?

[formrusmcsgt]

Any Sherrif who doesn't believe in following the law ain't worth having.

Fat ass Joe got too big for his britches.....

[incog-nito]

Some people want America to be an English-speaking country because they're too lazy and don't want to have to learn another language.

[formrusmcsgt]

Any Sherrif who doesn't believe in following the law ain't worth having.

Fat ass Joe got too big for his britches.....

[incog-nito]

Some people want America to be an English-speaking country because they're too lazy and don't want to have to learn another language.

[martinweck]

I would love to see this bigoted publicity hound end up wearing the pink underwear and striped uniforms he likes to force the "knuckleheads" under his custody to wear! The charge: refusing to comply with a federal investigation of blatant inhumane and racist treatment that he likes to trumpet. His antics are the kind of thing that warms the heart of the bigoted right-wing, and he loves to show it off. So let's turn the tables and see how he likes a taste of his own medicine. Bubba Joe can dish it out, but can he take it?

[pragmatist1]

This sheriff is a hero. The Justice Dept. goes after people like this who are doing their job, protecting the citizenry and our laws, but are leaning towards dropping charges against the co-conspirators of Sept. 11th and the USS Cole criminal, closing Gitmo, etc. Our Justice Dept. and this president care more about the rights of murderous Muslim terrorists and criminal illegal aliens than they do about our Constitution, our laws and protecting the rest of us.

[documemts]

Direct from Fox!

[phwtb]

...and so starts ANOTHER war of the states, battling over another "discriminated race"...

All you Obama freaks best read up in history. We fought one war over too high taxes being charged against us and the "new" 3 wave tax changes getting ready to hit ALL of us are effective 1-1-2011....We fought once over State's Rights and Arizona is now under attack with more states to follow...

What makes you think, for one split second, we won't fight again?

And gentlemen and gentleladies, THAT is WHY Obama and his cronies want to ban guns- ALL guns, not just the M1's- and gun ownership.

Free, white, American by birth, southern by the grace of God Almighty, highly educated, and a PROUD MEMBER OF THE NRA! If you aren't a member yet I suggest strongly that you become one. They are the ONLY ones fighting for our right to own and bare arms.

[documemts]

He forgot he's on a computer news posting site and not at the town dump drinking beer and shooting his 22 rifle.

[phwtb]

"...mirrors many of the policies Arpaio has put into place in the greater Phoenix area, where he set up a hot line for the public to report immigration violations, conducts crime and immigration sweeps in heavily Latino neighborhoods and frequently raids workplaces for people in the U.S. illegally."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Good for you Joe!! Keep up the GREAT work! What other areas of town would you are look in other than the one they can hide AND/OR be hidden in the easiest? Only a complete idiot would question that decision.

It's absolutely sickening that the federal government would even think of stepping in, much less doing it! Everyone of those idiots need to be removed from office. And big deal that Joe supports an English-only policy in his jails. It's about time someone did! If you can't do the time don't do the crime. If you can't learn English don't come over here. If you WON'T learn English you don't deserve to STAY over here!

Now if we could only get him into the White House. I bet he could find more than his share of illegals working in there too- starting with the Oval Office.