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The Sheriff

Arizona residents, long-time conservatives, and other law & order mavens, certainly know the tall tales of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

For those not in the know Arpaio -- the "toughest sheriff in America" -- has for almost 20 years been titillating law enforcement hawks and angering and dispiriting liberal idiots in the media and on university campuses.

I distinctly recall seeing in the mid-1990's one of those news magazine exposes on "Sheriff Joe." He had set up old-fashioned chain gangs in his county and was making felons work hard labor, outdoors, in 110-plus degree conditions. At night he housed them in open tents. The ashen-faced interviewer asked Sheriff Joe whether he was concerned the inmates might try to escape. They were not enclosed or even shackled. I don't remember the exact words he used in reply, but Sheriff Joe said something like this: "By the time I'm through with them they're too broken to think about anything but sleeping."

In any event, Arpaio has been back in the news lately in connection with the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants. Here's a link to an AP article from earlier today. For obvious reasons, the article heavily is laden with the AP's liberal agenda and bias. The heart of the story, however, translates quite well into reality speak (as edited by yours truly):

Three years ago Arpaio set up a special unit to deal with people sneaking across the border. Since then, his office has arrested 900 illegal immigrants under a state human smuggling law and set up a hotline for reporting immigration violations.

Arpaio said recent sweeps in which 150 people were arrested, nearly half of whom are illegal immigrants, were prompted in part by business owners' complaints about crime among illegals.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said the sheriff has stayed within the bounds of an agreement that gave special training and immigration powers to 160 of his officers.

Weeks after the recent sweeps, 20 Spanish-speaking day laborers gathered at a dusty intersection to wait for people to offer them work. Ramon Arajon Contreras, a laborer from Mexico, who has lived in Guadalupe, Arizona, since 2000, said the sweep frightened him so much that he hid out in his house until it was over. He said he is still afraid.

'If I see immigration officers,' said Contreras, 'it's like I see the devil.'

"Dirty Harry" Callahan can't hold a candle.

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Comments (52)

Sheriff Joe has been doing ... (Below threshold)
mattnu:

Sheriff Joe has been doing a good job. His latest rounds of immigration sweeps wasn't done just on a whim, although the media would like you to believe that. It was done because a lot of businesses got tired of their parking lots being used as day labor centers. When they would protest, they would be threatened by the Illegal Aliens and intimidated by the various Illegal Alien support groups. The cities wouldn't do anything about it, so Sheriff Joe decided he would. I know it's ghastly to think of a Sheriff actually enforcing the law, but sometimes the unthinkable happens.

The article fails to mentio... (Below threshold)
Imhotep:

The article fails to mention the fact that the Police Chief in Guadalupe demanded that Sheriff Joe give his local agency 48 hours notice prior to any other illegal alien sweep in Guadalupe.


The Guadalupe sheriff is Hispanic, BTW.

You forgot to mention the $... (Below threshold)

You forgot to mention the $40 million plus Sheriff Joe has cost the taxpayers of Maricopa County in lawsuits for wrongful death, false imprisonment, mistreatment of inmates, etc. You also forgot to mention that Sheriff Joe, on Good Friday, interrupted services at a Catholic church in Guadeloupe to the point where other ministers and religious leaders from around the county were called in to help with situation. You also forgot to mention the letter of complaint these ministers sent to Arpaio, not because of his sweeps, but the fact that he was interrupting the religious service itself. You've also forgotten to mention the AMERICAN CITIZENS of Hispanic descent he has falsely imprisoned during these sweeps - and the harassment they faced when trying to prove they were falsely imprisoned.

The man is an embarrassment.

SJR
The Pink Flamingo

The Pink Flamingo is obviou... (Below threshold)

The Pink Flamingo is obviously a fiction writer. Ask the people of Maricopa about the sheriff. They know him best.

Oh, Sheriff Joe has his bad... (Below threshold)
Mattnu:

Oh, Sheriff Joe has his bad side and has made some huge mistakes and is normally incredibly heavy handed but he is spot on with immigration. Sheriff Joe has bosses, he can be reined in. He answers to the County Supervisors, the County Attorney and ULTIMATELY the voters. The various city chiefs of police only answer to the city manager.

Sheriff Joe also endorsed t... (Below threshold)
mattnu:

Sheriff Joe also endorsed the Pink Taco, which shows he actually has a sense of humor...

That is quite an imaginatio... (Below threshold)
THe Darkworld of republicans.:

That is quite an imagination you got there Frank. I know you really want to admire Sherrif Coltrane, and I know you really enjoy the fact that he is sadistic and has had wrongful death sutis filed against him. I\'m sure we can expect that somone like you will ignore any facts that paint pico train in a bad light becuase they are obviously lies manufactured by liberals to keep you from worhsipping your hero.

I get the filling you really like people who lay the smack down and if he tortured inmates all day long you\'d be singing his praises. I don\'t want to take this from you. Maybe we could bring back the georgia chain gangs and treat prisoners like we did in iraq? It is something people like you seem to like and who are we liberals to spoil your sadism?

So just be what you are to the best of your abiity. You know, a little man who feel better about his failures in life when he hears of someone else getting a beating.

More Sheriff Joes are neede... (Below threshold)
bnorm:

More Sheriff Joes are needed in America.

The Richard Post Case... (Below threshold)
THe Darkworld of republicans.:

The Richard Post Case
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.

The Brian Crenshaw Case<br ... (Below threshold)
THe Darkworld of republicans.:

The Brian Crenshaw Case
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. When asked about the incident, Arpaio insisted, \"The man fell off a bunk.\"[11]

Sheriff Arpaio has been cri... (Below threshold)
THe Darkworld of republicans.:

Sheriff Arpaio has been criticized for allowing his deputies and 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.[19]

. During his internment, ev... (Below threshold)
THe Darkworld of republicans.:

. 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.[10]

Norberg's parents filed a lawsuit against Joe Arpaio and his office. The lawsuit was settled for $8.25 million (USD) following a highly contentious legal battle. Despite vowing to never settle, the case quickly closed after it was disclosed the Sheriff\'s office had destroyed key evidence in the case.

In short Jayson. I think you are probably a realy bad man, for admiring a sadist. I think luckily for you though you are probably the kind of bad man that never feels shame.

"Alleged" "suggested" Bwaha... (Below threshold)

"Alleged" "suggested" Bwahahahaha!!!! Only a far left wing fanatical nut job would believe these obvious lies. What entertainment these brain dead liberals are

So TDoR, I am guessing you ... (Below threshold)
Mattnu:

So TDoR, I am guessing you don't like Sheriff Joe?

You forgot that he also has had the tendency to discredit and harass potential opponents in some of the contended elections so that they either quit or lose by horrible landslides.

"Alleged" "suggested" Bw... (Below threshold)
THe Darkworld of republicans.:

"Alleged" "suggested" Bwahahahaha!!!!

I guess you missed the one where the videoo shows the officers laughing at the guy with broken kneck for the minor offence. Probably didn't notice either the 8 million dollar lawsuit he had to settle for destroying evidenc. also probably missed the incredlous story about a guy who suffered injuries that included a perforated intestine and a broken neck. and a sherrif who said he fell out of his bed.

Yes, you obviously enjoy being brain dead. Please don't think I want to interfere with that. people do what they love.

Arpaio was responsible for ... (Below threshold)
The Exposer:

Arpaio was responsible for getting Butch Napolitano elected Governor in 2002. He was also a big supporter of the ultraliberal soft-on-crime con man Romney for President. A grandstanding RINO phony that gives McCain a run for his money.

Here\'s a good one. I\'m su... (Below threshold)
THe Darkworld of republicans.:

Here\'s a good one. I\'m sure Jayson loves this.

1) temperatures inside Tent City often reach 120 degrees in the summer,

2)The sheriff brags that he spends more money feeding police dogs than he does inmates

The jail houses people who have not been tried yet (in additon to those who have), meaning their are poeple there who have been convicted of no crimes Not a one. Nada. getting to live with the lovely sherrif.

One man spent four years in these luxourious condistions forced to wear pink underwear before being aquitted of all charges.

Yip he was totally innocent and got to suffer an be humiliated by the kindly Sherrif.

Hey if Jayson ever goes to Arizona will someone accuse him of assualt or something? I\'m sure he will be aquitted but it will be fun to see him live with the good sherrif for a while before trial.

I guess that\'s the sadist in me. We can call it the dark side of democrats.

I guess you mi... (Below threshold)


I guess you missed the one where the videoo shows

I'd like to see that video. Where do I get a copy? You Tube?

Probably didn't notice either the 8 million dollar lawsuit he had to settle for destroying evidence.

Where do I find that verdict?

The jail houses people who have not been tried yet (in additon to those who have),

Can you say bail?

One man spent four years in these luxourious condistions forced to wear pink underwear before being aquitted of all charges.

Case # and reference?

I guess that\'s the sadist in me. We can call it the dark side of democrats.

No , we have a different term for that: demagoguery.


HughSJust because ... (Below threshold)
ebartley:

HughS

Just because someone can't afford bail (even if he's denied it) doesn't give society the right to punish him. Until the accused is convicted by a jury and sentenced by a judge, society has only the right to detain him to make sure he's available for punishment if he is convicted.

How much and in what ways we punish convicts involves an entirely different set of much more complicated questions.

ebartleyJust... (Below threshold)

ebartley

Just because someone can't afford bail (even if he's denied it) doesn't give society the right to punish him.

That's correct. Are you saying that those in Maricopa County who are charged, not convicted and unable to make bail are being punished?


society has only the right to detain him to make sure he's available for punishment if he is convicted.

That we agree on. It's the definition of bail bond

I guess you missed the ... (Below threshold)
THe Darkworld of republicans.:

I guess you missed the one where the videoo shows

I\'d like to see that video. Where do I get a copy? You Tube?

I bet a sadist like you would like to see the video. Sorry, instead I will give you a newspaper link that confirms the video exists and seems to back up\'s Richard Post\'s version of events\" If you want the video, to satisfy your sadisim you\'ll have to research it yourself.

here is the link: http://entertainment.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-04-15/news/lies-and-videotape/

Probably didn\'t notice either the 8 million dollar lawsuit he had to settle for destroying evidence.

Where do I find that verdict?

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-01-14/news/the-8-million-victim/

The jail houses people who have not been tried yet (in additon to those who have),

Can you say bail?

Gosh your right, a person should be subjected to inhumane conditions if they can\'t afford bail. Gosh your smart. maybe you should get to wear pink underwear too.

One man spent four years in these luxourious condistions forced to wear pink underwear before being aquitted of all charges.

Case # and reference?

hmm, I have a better idea, why don\'t you try thinking? It\'s not hard and you might like it. You have know the conditions of the Sherrif\'s jail are rough and you know people go there pre-trial, stands to reason someone could have stayed in those conditions for a very long time(and that some of them would not be convicted). Don\'t worry I won\'t hold you to the thinking thing, I lost the link so I\'ll drop this one.

I guess that\\\'s the sadist in me. We can call it the dark side of democrats.

No , we have a different term for that: demagoguery.

demagoguery - impassioned appeals to the prejudices and emotions of the populace

Now since I was suggesting something sadistic happen to Jayson (him spending time with the good sherrif) that was sadisim not demagogery.
and since I have now given much evidence to prove my case it is most certainly not demagoguery.

Hugh, I really think you are a first class idiot, so I don\'t expect the fact that I have proven beyond doubt to any reaonsable person (meaning people other than yourself) that the sherrif has had to pay out millions, that video exists that demonstrates he may have to pay much more, that video exists that verifies the victim\'s story. That a man recieved major internal injures from falling of a bunk that is of a lower height than the bunk a child sleeps in. And that the sherrif is just a sadistc man given his own playground.

Don\'t worry, I know you like to believe in your sadists, so I\'m sure I\'ll see you defeding torture on another thread.

HughS:eba... (Below threshold)
ebartley:

HughS:

ebartley:
Just because someone can't afford bail (even if he's denied it) doesn't give society the right to punish him.

HughS:

That's correct. Are you saying that those in Maricopa County who are charged, not convicted and unable to make bail are being punished?

I would consider being imprisoned in 120 degree heat a punishment -- wouldn't you?

Look, if you're skeptical of Darkworld's claims, I sympathize, but snarky comments about bail just aren't relevant here.

Darkwood,Your link... (Below threshold)
ebartley:

Darkwood,

Your links above (which I can't replicate without being spamtrapped) don't produce any text relevant to Sheriff Joe in my browser. It looks like it's just a framework with the actual text missing.

I would consider being i... (Below threshold)
THe Darkworld of sadists (not Republicans).:

I would consider being imprisoned in 120 degree heat a punishment -- wouldn\'t you?

Look, if you\'re skeptical of Darkworld\'s claims, I sympathize, but snarky comments about bail just aren\'t relevant here

I know you are not on my side but don\'t forget the pink underwear. the Sherrif is very proud of making people wear them.

Also, to the skeptics. Read the articles, the evidence is against the good Sherrif.

They work when I click on t... (Below threshold)
THe Darkworld of sadists (not Republicans).:

They work when I click on them. Might try posting the link in a google search.

DarkworldYou haven't... (Below threshold)

Darkworld
You haven't proved a thing. Your links are worthless. Your argument less so.

If you care at all about inmate rights then show us some street cred. If you know what you are talking about, then you know what I am referring to. You know, Salvation Army involvement, halfway house sponsor testimony, AA, NA and other relief organizations that are coalescing around opposition to the Sheriff.

You are mouthing trial lawyer complaints and denial. Do you really care about Arpaio's inmates? Get involved.

As I said before, you are sounding like a pretender.

Darkwood,The links... (Below threshold)
ebartley:

Darkwood,

The links produce framework-only pages in both Windows Firefox and Windows IE. Punching them into google produces a link to the page in which, but the page still doesn't load.

I found a couple of separate links which I'll see if I can post individually.

<a href="http://www.azcentr... (Below threshold)
ebartley:

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0409sr-fhsheriff0410-ON.html">http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0409sr-fhsheriff0410-ON.html">http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0409sr-fhsheriff0410-ON.html

Much sound and fury from Saban, competing against Arpaio for the elected position of sheriff, but there's this excerpt:

He said the Sheriff's Office won the past six cases.

"I testified in three of them. We won," Arpaio said.

Saban asked about the thousands of other lawsuits filed by inmates, suspects and groups that have cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.

"He certainly may have won the last six, but look at the ones he has lost," Saban said.

Not clear to me if the political opponent is exaggerating, or how much that is money was in verdicts / settlements vs. lawyers, but it's something. Also not clear to me how much your average prison runs per prisoner for the same costs -- filing lawsuits is something a lot of prisoners in a lot of prison systems do.

Weird. I can't post a link... (Below threshold)
ebartley:

Weird. I can't post a link, but I can post a URL which automatically turns into a link?

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0425manning-letter0425.html

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors this week agreed to pay out $925,000 to settle two cases that involved the Sheriff's Office.

One was a wrongful-death claim brought by the family of a 28-year-old man who suffered a heart attack while in custody. The Sheriff's Office and the Correctional Health Services, a county department responsible for giving inmates medical care, split the $800,000 settlement equally.

...

The county will also pay out $125,000 to Nick Tarr, arrested by sheriff's deputies six years ago and charged with impersonating a police officer.

...

Tarr was accused of impersonating an officer. The citation was eventually dropped, but Tarr said the incident had hurt his ability to land work. He sued the sheriff.

The first might well be a matter of something happen having happened on X's watch, so X gotta pay. The second - well, I don't want to excerpt more than that in this comment here, but it sounds like the man was a security guard who played a police officer in some television commercials the sheriff didn't like.

ebartley and DW... (Below threshold)


ebartley and DW

What are the summer temps at these institutions?

http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/tal/index.jsp


http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/mia/index.jsp

Are they air conditioned?

As I said earlier, neither of you show any personal knowledge of actual inmate conditions and their experience.

Darkworld,Pink und... (Below threshold)
ebartley:

Darkworld,

Pink underwear just doesn't register on my "bad treatment" register.

HughS,First, I cli... (Below threshold)
ebartley:

HughS,

First, I clicked on your links and looked around there. As far as I can tell, those links don't provide an answer to your question. And frankly, you should make your own assertions.

Second, the answer to your question has nothing to do with the question of what is appropriate treatment of non-convicted detainees. I am fully aware that they get shafted in many American prison systems. Are you asserting that this is not wrong?

I believe this is one of th... (Below threshold)
ebartley:

I believe this is one of the links Darkworld was trying to reference.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1997-01-23/news/jailers-show-a-paraplegic-who-s-boss/1

ebartleyThe answer... (Below threshold)

ebartley

The answer is that neither are air conditioned. The heat and humidity are stifling for both detainees and staff.

As for detainees in FDC Miami or FDC NYC, formerly known as MCI Miami and MCI NYC, the detainees would give anything for a desert tent. Arpaio knows this. He plays the media for the fools they are. He knows how to manage a prison population.

HughS,I'm perfectl... (Below threshold)
ebartley:

HughS,

I'm perfectly willing to believe that inmates have it rougher elsewhere. That doesn't mean it's okay. It would be a good argument that complaints ought to be directed elsewhere ... except for the fact that Sheriff Joe makes a production of his inmates having it rough. When he does that, the fact that not all of his inmates are people we're entitled to punish becomes very important.

Do you think it's acceptable to imprison someone who has never been convicted of any crime, but who can't make bail, or has been denied bail, or just hasn't seen the judge yet, in a tent outdoors in 110+ degree weather?