Summary: The Arizona Sheriff famous for his anti-immigrant tactics is asking for financial help from his supporters to cover legal fees.
Everyone knows Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio has an issue with undocumented immigrants from South of the border. His Maricopa County sheriff’s department consistently profiles and targets suspected illegal immigrants during traffic stops and other routine stops. Arpaio was first voted in as sheriff for Maricopa County in 1992 and reelected for six 4-year terms.
Arpaio’s latest legal trouble started in 2013 when a U.S. District Judge ruled that his office broke the law by profiling Latinos during immigration and traffic stops. The sheriff was supposed to implement improved training and technology equipment to show that they were no longer profiling but his efforts have been minimal. Arpaio has asked that the judge be removed from the case for bias after a report that the judge and his wife want to do everything they can to make sure he is not reelected again.
With all the legal issues Arpaio continually faces each day, he has asked his supporters to help fund attorneys and legal aid for the cases where he is responsible for the fees that the county does not cover. His legal fees that taxpayers covered have reached over $1.6 million and there are still pending costs to fix his racial programs.
While his tactics may not be popular and have cost the tax payers a lot of money in legal and security fees, he has also transformed the jail system and saved the taxpayers thousands of dollars by eliminating salt and pepper, serving only two meals a day, banning unrestricted TV, and dying underwear pink in the jails. He works hard to provide resources for rehabilitation so that inmates don’t return to jail and he makes them work when they are in jail, it’s just not work that everyone agrees is ethical.
Source: http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2015/05/25/3662524/arpaio-i-need-a-dollar-dollar-dollar/
Photo: msnbc.com