Thread: 'America's Toughest Sheriff' Expects to be Re-Elected

Arizona
Despite Criticism, 'America's Toughest Sheriff' Expects to be Re-elected
Posted by JEFFREY KOFMAN on
Monday, October 20, 2008 at
2:26:00 PM


"Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio has a controversial interpretation of immigration laws."
(ABC News)Joe Arpaio, who likes to be known as Sheriff Joe, is determined to get rid of every illegal immigrant in Maricopa County, no matter what the cost.

"I'm an equal opportunity law enforcement and incarcerator -- I lock everybody up," he said.

With his ever-present angry growl, the man who has been called "America's Toughest Sheriff" speaks for a good number of frustrated Americans when the issue is illegal immigration. But he has also drawn fire for his aggressive pursuit of illegal immigrants, casting a wide net by raiding local business in search of illegal employees and using traffic violations as excuses to search the vehicles of anyone whom he thinks shouldn't be here.

Using traffic stops and raids around the county, Sheriff's Deputies have sent thousands of illegal immigrants to Maricopa County jails, and it has made Sheriff Joe a local hero to many in the Phoenix area. Which is why he is confident he will win re-election for a fifth term next month. But he has also become a target, for what his critics see as unconstitutional abuses of power.

Watch the story tonight on "Nightline" at 11:35 ET




Every day now you'll find protesters outside Sheriff Joe's office. The Mayor of Phoenix, Phil Gordon, thinks the Sheriff in his county is out of control.

"What we have going on is racial profiling," Gordon said. "What we have going on now has just been widespread sweeps encompassing such a large net that U.S. citizens are being dragged into this."

Gordon has asked the Department of Justice to look into the sheriff's tactics.

Running against the sheriff in the November 4th election is Dan Saban, who actually switched party affiliation so he could be a candidate.

"[Arpaio] is compromising the U.S. constitution by violating people's rights with racial profiling," Saban told me. "He's taken a very aggressive stance, an emotional stance, he's obsessed with illegal immigration to the point of he's compromised American value, he's violating the constitution by stopping people for no reason."

The Sheriff's Deputies are told that a minor traffic violation is reason enough to pull over whoever they want. "Nightline" saw just that when we rode with Sgt. Manny Madrid. A truck was pulled over for straddling two lanes.

"Basically he was pulled over for a traffic violation and the deputies who just showed up now are going to screen the individuals inside of their status to be in the country," Madrid explained.

Arpaio doesn't think his deputies are crossing the line.

"I don't have any evidence of [racial profiling] right now," he said. "But if they do, everybody makes a mistake, but I'm not going to stop a program if someone makes a mistake or that issue comes up -- never."
read more. . .



http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/5050/sto ... 331&page=1

I sure wish him luck, will send a great message if he is re-elected.