"America's Sheriff" Not Quite Doing His Job
wesmorgan1Most of us are familiar with Joe Arpaio, the Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. He has gained fame (or notoriety, depending upon one's perspective) for his immigration sweeps and harsh detention conditions, which include tent cities, chain gangs and food costs of 15 cents per meal. He and his office are the 
"Although... I Prefer My Tightie-Pinkies"subjects of "Smile...You're Under Arrest!", a new show on Fox Reality Channel. Well, the Goldwater Institution--no hotbed of liberalism--took a look at his operation and found it sorely lacking. From the Executive Summary of their report:
The Maricopa County Sheriff ’s Office is responsible for vitally important law-enforcement functions in one of the largest counties in the nation. It defines its core missions as law-enforcement services, support services, and detention.
MCSO falls seriously short of fulfilling its mission in all three areas. Although MCSO is adept at self-promotion and is an unquestionably “tough” law-enforcement agency, under its watch violent crime rates recently have soared, both in absolute terms and relative to other jurisdictions. It has diverted resources away from basic law-enforcement functions to highly publicized immigration sweeps, which are ineffective in policing illegal immigration and in reducing crime generally, and to extensive trips by MCSO offi cials to Honduras for purposes that are nebulous at best. Profligate spending on those diversions helped produce a financial crisis in late 2007 that forced MCSO to curtail or reduce important law-enforcement functions. [...]
We find that MCSO’s effectiveness has been compromised for the past several years by misplaced priorities that have diverted it from its mission.
According to the report, the Sheriff's Office can't even tell how many investigations are opened, how many are closed, or how many resulted in convictions. Crimes go uninvestigated, even violent and sexual crimes. MCSO's jails have lost their health-care accreditation--an major defense against lawsuits--as a result of its failure to provide adequate health care to inmates. In 1999, a Federal judge found the conditions at some MCSO facilities unconstitutional, in terms of excessive force and inadequate healthcare; a US District Court judge (appointed by President Bush) ruled, in October 2008, that unlawful conditions continue to persist in MCSO jails.
Here's the full report, in PDF format. It would seem that Arpaio should be getting his job right instead of starring in a reality show.
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Reader Comments (14)
And so, who should care about this, other than the citizens of Arizona? And what would it's point be anyhow where the rest of us are concerned. That tough law and order policies don't work? I mean come on, sheeeez and shimaneecrickets and even whoopdeedoo.
Oh and btw, "According to the report, the Sheriff's Office can't even tell how many investigations are opened, how many are closed, or how many resulted in convictions"
"Uh, give me a minute and I'll get that for ya.. " he might of said.. LOL
The point, Tijuana, is that this guy who is being celebrated as "tough on illegal immigration" is letting violent crime slide in his zeal for self-promotion. Inasmuch as he has become something of a symbol, I think it important to consider how he performs all of his duties.
Yet in a 2007 Forbes study which ranked four of Maricopa County's municipalities in the top ten fastest-growing cities in the nation. Buckeye: 2nd-fastest-growing city, Surprise and Goodyear: 3rd and 4th, respectively, and Avondale as 9th. Much of this increased crime is from the direct association with illegal immigrants flooding his county, which is obviously why he tries to be so tough on it. Not to mention, the increased unemployment is becoming quite the problem in that same county. That too can be factored into the numbers slightly.
"Getting" Sheriff Joe has become sort of a cottage industry, with critics from both left and right.
Some criticism is most likely justified, but the part I find distasteful is the left-wing caterwauling over those poor, poor inmates being forced to wear pink drawers and live without air conditioning.
Near here, in neighboring Polk County, Florida, a thug was tracked into the woods after killing a deputy and his dog. When confronted, the thug would not put down his gun, and the cops opened up on him, hitting him 68 times.
Naturally, a touchy-feely reporter asked Sheriff Grady Judd why the cop killer was shot 68 times, to which the sheriff replied, "Because we ran out of bullets." Good man, Sheriff Judd.
You're tho cold RB. LOL
Uh, he's no symbol to me, so I guess I am waaaay behind the curve on this one. (i can hear it now, well, that's not new.. lol)
Read the report, guys. The rise in crime in his jurisdiction is outstripping the population growth. I think what galls me is that the guy is being held up as a hero, reality show and all, while big chunks of his real job go undone. The numbers on felony warrants--and the number of crimes/deaths committed by persons on whom warrants have been outstanding--are stunningly poor.
As far as the 'caterwauling' is concerned, I'll just point out that when Republican-appointed judges in Arizona say that a sheriff is unconstitutionally rough, that means something; after all, we aren't talking about the Ninth Circuit here, right?
Joe's my hero,...he ignores the bleeding heart libtards and rinos.
Kudos to Joe!
The article makes valid points, Wes, but I still wonder if the actual points are the reason for Joe getting all this attention, or if it's just Joe being a lightning rod for liberals who don't like him.
Redbeard, I would suggest that Joe's self-promotion drew a great deal of attention. The Goldwater Institute isn't a liberal think tank, after all.
"While you've got us on facts, you're still only motivated by your liberalism."
"......................, you're still only motivated by your liberalism."
Zactly :)
When the objective facts match the argument being made, it shouldn't be a "liberal" or "conservative" thing. Heaven knows that we have enough shades-of-grey and spinmeister arguments; when I read this report, I didn't see anything to spin/interpret at all.
Oh, and he's cost the county over $41 million in lawsuits to boot. This guy's office is a nightmare.
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-12-20/news/inhumanity-has-a-price/1