If you are familiar with "America's Toughest Sheriff" as Joe Arpaio call himself, you know he's a self-styled king of Maricopa County (greater PHX) law enforcement. He is a master of media manipulation to build his popularity with stunts such as pink boxers for inmates, his Tent City in the desert heat, and press conferences at the drop of a drophouse. He offers reporters the opportunity for ridealongs (and later asks a quid pro quo).
If it stopped there, there'd be no diary. But it does NOT stop there. Joe Must Go, and progressives around the nation can help Dan Saban oust Arpaio's brand of selective law enforcement.
Joe Arpaio has been at times a very popular sheriff, widely considered effective and at one point endorsed by Democratic Governor Napolitano. However, Arpaio has changed in recent years, using the overheated debate on illegal immigration--and associated ICE dollars available through the 287g federal deputizing program--to his advantage.
He has become a rampant aggressor against the 4th Amendment in detaining people without probable cause, aka for Driving While Brown. He has focused on well-publicized crime sweeps through neighborhoods instead of working on outstanding felony warrants. He has cost Arizona taxpayers in excess of $40 million dollars in lawsuits, ranging from civil rights violations to wrongful death in his understaffed jails.
Until recently, Arpaio enjoyed broad popularity. He is still very popular with the substantial anti-immigrant crowd in AZ, but the myth of his monolithic support is eroding, as reported in the East Valley Tribune:
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's popularity has taken a significant hit during the past year, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Behavior Research Center.
Voters who think Arpaio is doing an excellent or good job now stands at 54 percent, down from 64 percent last year. Likewise, those who think the sheriff is doing a poor job rose to 28 percent from 16 percent, according to the survey.
Arpaio is so far refusing to debate Saban, knowing that his best defense against his record is to avoid acknowledging it. Arpaio is quick to claim that everyone is against him, that polls are biased against him, that he is the only one enforcing the law.
This is only the most public face of the MCSO under Arpaio. Consider his enemies list, courtesy of the Phoenix New Times, the only news outlet in greater PHX that consistently challenges the sheriff:
• Sheriff’s Office employees who’ve spoken out have endured slanted investigations from the sheriff’s internal affairs unit, been transferred or fired, and sometimes been harassed at their new jobs.
• At least two men, Tom Bearup and Ernest Hancock, were tailed after they announced their interest in Arpaio’s job. Arpaio’s second-in-command, David Hendershott, targeted Bearup as a threat to the sheriff. Hendershott even ordered an underling to write a memo that painted Bearup, the sheriff’s former top deputy, as a security risk.
• Deputies tapped the phone of Bearup’s campaign aide, Jim Cozzolino. Deputies also rifled through his trash. Cozzolino was later arrested under dubious circumstances and served four months in jail. Cozzolino sued, claiming that Arpaio violated his constitutional rights. The sheriff was forced to settle.
• Republican activists say they’ve been penalized for backing candidates other than Arpaio. After Lee Watkins backed another candidate, deputies raided his business and home and launched a public investigation. Three years later, no charges have been filed.
• Arpaio’s most recent foe, Dan Saban, was painted as a sexual deviant when Arpaio’s people slipped a damaging report from a questionable source to a TV reporter. After Saban sued, the sheriff’s lawyer wrote letters attempting to get Saban fired from his current job.
That last one, from Saban's 2004 primary challenge, was reanimated this past week by the Arizona Republican Party:
The ad was pulled after outcry, including Saban rightly calling Arpaio a liar and a coward. In this Sunday's Arizona Republic, the editorial board took the unexpected step of endorsing Dan Saban with language aimed squarely at Arpaio's condoning of this smear ad. This is a major crack in the otherwise persistent media perception that Arpaio's re-election is a foregone conclusion. BTW, I urge those interested in the discussion about Arpaio to check out the comments on the endorsement (currently over 100 pages of comments).
Please stop by Dan Saban's page, learn, and donate. His main challenge is money; Arpaio has a substantial war chest. However, with the massive Obama turnout this year, Saban has a chance. He just needs the resources to tell people what Arpaio has done, and all our new Democrats and Independents will be very likely to support Saban, real law enforcement, and the 4th Amendment in Arizona.
http://www.sabanforsheriff.com/...