Thread: Arpaio talks about feuds, policies and reputation(& IAs)

azcentral.com
Arpaio talks about feuds, policies and reputation
Apr. 27, 2008 12:00 AM

He doesn't use a computer, only a Smith-Corona typewriter. He saves all the thousands of letters he gets and answers each one personally - no "signature stamp" needed.

He boasts of having zero hobbies, proud of the fact he doesn't play golf. An unabashed self-promoter, he is a lightning rod for both criticism and praise here and across the nation.

He is Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a powder keg of public bravado who confesses somehow convincingly that he is a "private person" by nature, despite his 24/7 media machine that includes national and international TV appearances, New York Times and countless newspaper articles and two autobiographical books, including a new one just out.

Under fire from local civil-rights groups and neighboring law-enforcement officials, Arpaio agreed to sit down for a lengthy interview to discuss his controversial immigrant sweeps, the county's role for outstanding arrest warrants and his bitter feud with Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, whose downtown office can be seen from Arpaio's 19th-floor window.

Serving an unprecedented 16 years as sheriff of the nation's fourth most-populated county, Arpaio is confident of re-election come November. But he also reflected on his legacy when the day comes that the title of "America's Toughest Sheriff" is relinquished and he gives up the badge forever.

Here are excerpts from the interview Thursday with Viewpoints Editor Joe Garcia:

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and others are demanding a federal investigation into your immigration sweeps, saying the roundups constitute a "pattern and practice of conduct that includes discriminatory harassment, improper stops, searches and arrests." If the federal government finds that there is racial-profiling, will the sweeps end?

The question is, if we are doing something wrong, which we are not, we'll take proper action. If they can prove that we are profiling, which we are not, OK. I welcome any investigation. I'm not concerned about it. We've been doing these operations for over two years. I think that we've had one or two complaints. That's a pretty good record, especially when you get 4,000 tips from our hotline. So, I'm not concerned. . . . I welcome an investigation. Put up or shut up.

Valley religious leaders, top law-enforcement officers, city, town and neighborhood leaders, Hispanic groups and civil-rights leaders are all calling on you to end your immigration sweeps, saying they're excessive, wasteful, divisive and create the potential for violence. Does such a chorus of pleas cause you to pause, even for a moment, to re-evaluate?

Everybody supports me. I've got thousands of letters from the public. They're my bosses. I do what the people want me to do. I'm elected. If you've got politicians who don't like what I'm doing, that's their problem. Eighty percent of the people (support me). I serve the people; I don't serve mayors, bureaucrats, governors. I serve the people.

There's a religious group, I spent four hours with that group. Four hours in my office. And their main issue was "take down the hotline." After four hours, I'm not taking down the hotline. So I do meet with people. Of course, the mayor, he's right over there, I can see his office from here, he never calls me. Nobody ever calls me. It's very interesting. Why hasn't anybody called me, except I have to read it in the newspaper? And I know many of these people, including the Hispanic legislators. . . . I have to read in the newspaper of everything going on. Are they afraid to call the sheriff?

It's difficult now to go before the demonstrators because you can't get a word in. That's why I don't approach the demonstrators anymore, especially when they have Hitler with my picture, "Hitler," "KKK," I'm a "Nazi." These are elected offices who condone this. That's not going to deter me. I'll meet with anybody. Doesn't mean I'm going to change my policy, but at least I can give them my viewpoint, like you're giving me the opportunity to explain and I can explain it to them. But nobody wants to listen.

You're a product of immigrant parents from Italy. You must have empathy for people, usually dirt poor, who come here in search of a better life? . . . Can you understand why many people believe you are unfairly targeting the Hispanic community?

This is a tough decision that I made a few years ago. . . . I have compassion for the Mexican people. I have compassion. I understand what you are saying. Many of them come over here to work, some of them come over here to commit crime, as evidenced today. We have 20 percent of the people booked into our jail who are illegal - 20 percent, not 10. . . . So I had to make a decision. Do I enforce the human-smuggling law? Or do I do like every other law-enforcement agency does - not enforcing that human-smuggling law. . . .

There's no prejudice. I'm going to enforce that law until they change the law. Now, if they change the law, that's great. I don't have to get involved. I don't get any thrills arresting somebody who came across the border. I don't care what country they're from, the color of their skin. I'm doing my job, and I will continue to do my job.

So, will you continue with the sweeps?

I am the sheriff. My jurisdiction is everywhere in this county. If you read the law, the sheriff is the chief law-enforcement officer for the county. And Phoenix happens to be in the county, the last time I checked. I think someone voted for me in Phoenix, and that person deserves to be serviced by their sheriff, so I have the jurisdiction. It's not like Mesa (police) going into Phoenix, which they do anyway. . . .

I live in Fountain Hills. I know in front of the gas station, every morning, 10-15 (day labor) people hanging there. I know what they're doing. But I'm not going to grab them and ask them for citizenship (proof) unless I have reason to stop them for another crime. I'm taking heat from the people up there (in Fountain Hills). "How come you don't grab these people?" I don't do that.

With four (recent) operations, we exerted 30 total hours and we arrested 150 people, 73 who happened to be illegals. Most of them were from Mexico because you can't get around that. I would love to catch somebody from Canada or the Middle East, but you can't. They're not coming here.

You get criticized by local law-enforcement agencies for not serving felony arrest warrants, shirking that responsibility in favor of immigrant sweeps, which requires manpower and other resources. Mayor Phil Gordon says you have created "a sanctuary county for felons" and that you have "40,000 felony warrants stacked on (your) desk." Why not go after the "real" criminals and actively serve outstanding arrest warrants, which local agencies see as a county obligation and responsibility?

It's very interesting, the day he's giving his State of the City address, instead of talking positive about development, the economy, which I would do if I were the mayor, he's talking about (me). The hour he's giving his speech, I'm at the U.S. Marshal's Office - and all the chiefs of police, including me, because we all work together to round up 400 outstanding warrants. They're not my responsibility, except for 1,500 (county warrants). He's got 12,000. His cops: 12,000. Why is he putting it on me? Very simply, it's not my responsibility.

On the crime suppressions - you call them "sweeps," I call them crime suppressions - we cleared 30 warrants within 30 hours. . . . When we do these operations, we do get the warrants. We're killing two birds with one stone. He should say, "Thank you, sheriff. Hey, you got 30 warrants in 30 hours. Keep doing it. You're helping me." He uses these words like "sanctuary," like a kid. "You used 'sanctuary city,' now I'm going to use the same word." Kind of childish. Couldn't he use a different word?

Do you feel there is a need to repair your relationship with the Hispanic community?

I'd love to do it. But let me tell you something. When I do talk to them, I'll explain why I am doing (the sweeps). But it's not going to change my mind. The only thing I would like to mend with them and try to let them know: what I am doing, why I am doing it, that I'm not prejudiced. I'll talk to anybody. I just can't get into the demonstrators because they're too vocal, they won't listen to me.

I've had a lot of threats on me. . . . More people are worried because I seem to be the poster boy, I seem to be the focal point with the Hispanic community. It's me. Everything is me now. But that's OK, I know how to handle it. I'm not going to back down. I'm going to keep it up. Any time they want to talk to me, come on over. I'll be glad to tell you what we're doing. But it's not going to change. I'm not going to change my policy, unless the law changes. Then I will change. That is non-negotiable.

How do you see the whole immigration situation ending? Looking into the future, is there a federal solution?

The presidential campaign, I know (immigration's) on the backburner. Nobody's talking about it anymore, probably because they want the Hispanic vote. Isn't that a shame? Worry about votes vs. what's right and wrong? In a way, maybe the federal government should be blamed somewhat because they never did crack down 20 years ago. People are still coming across the border. I wish they'd build up the economy in Mexico and give some money there to factories there and help the economy so the people would stay there, instead of coming here to work.

I'm against amnesty, totally against it. I will always be against amnesty like I am always against legalizing drugs. My mother and father came here legally. We've got so many people around the world dying to get in here and they have to wait for years and years. I don't think anybody that violates the law, sneaks across the border, knowing they are violating the law because they are paying coyotes 3,000 bucks, should be given any special treatment regardless of the reason they came here. If there was some law, more visas, be my guest, let them come from all over. I have no problem if they come here legally. It's a fairness issue. It's not right to reward people for coming over here when others can't come and they have to wait so many years.

How do you solve the problem? I know how to solve a big part of the problem. It may be controversial, but I don't think it is. We can talk about the fence and all that. If you cross the border, you just violated the law. It's a criminal violation regardless of what people say. You can get six months in prison because it's a federal violation. I say as they cross, you put them in jail. You enforce that law. You can't work behind bars, send money back to your loved ones. It's a big deterrent.

They come here, they have nothing to lose. They come here, get deported, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Put them in jail. I think you're going to see a big change at the border for those 12-15 million here. No amnesty. . . . It may be hardship on some families when they have the kids. I'm not really concentrating on that. Some we may have caught, but not many. But like last night, we caught 30. They were coming into the county, they weren't here for 10 years. But, little by little, you take care of that problem by making sure you deport them, or if they violate the law.

You're running for re-election, and as agreed, we won't talk about the upcoming campaign and politics. But I am curious about your legacy. Not to push you into retirement, but you'll be 76 in June. When you do finally put away the badge, how would you want to be remembered? History can either be a harsh judge or a flattering artist. What will folks be saying about Sheriff Joe Arpaio?

How would I want to be remembered? Let me tell you three things: When you leave, nobody will remember you. You do know that. They'll give you the watch. They'll remember you for about 24 hours, and then you're history. Do you really think that I don't understand that when I leave, I'm a nothing? They may remember me maybe on the "pink underwear (for jail inmates)" for a couple of days, that's it. So I understand that, whether you're the president or whatever. You're nothing; they forget you. So, I'm not doing this to be remembered.

I have a philosophy: When I leave an office, I never go back. . . . I know once I'm gone, I'm history. Now, I guess I am one politician that doesn't want to be something else. You see, everybody wants to be something else; they're never happy where they're at. I could have been the governor. I probably could have been, no doubt about it. Everybody knows it. I don't want to be the governor, I want to be the sheriff.

I'm not building up a resume so when I leave this office, I can get another job. I would never take a job as chief of police. What, are you kidding? You'd have to report to a city manager, a mayor, a council. I don't want nothing. So when I leave, I'm going to ride off into the sunset - not on a horse, I'm from Massachusetts, so (it'll) probably have to be a convertible. And I will say, "Goodbye everybody," and I'll go home.

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This man is my HERO! HE listens to the 80% who want the law enforced!

Why aren't there more people in office like him!! I can't believe he says he works for the people! What a concept! I WISH this guy was running for President! This man deserves a MEDAL!

Originally Posted by alexcastro

Why aren't there more people in office like him!! I can't believe he says he works for the people! What a concept! I WISH this guy was running for President! This man deserves a MEDAL!

My God, wouldn't it be great if he were running for President???

Remember that Arpaio was a strong supporter of Mitt Romney's presidential bid.

See this link for a cool Arpaio video:
http://oneoldvet.com/?p=6107

In my opinion, Joe Arpaio is John Wayne resurrected! I have so much respect for this guy. He should be memorialized!

Originally Posted by TexasBorn

In my opinion, Joe Arpaio is John Wayne resurrected! I have so much respect for this guy. He should be memorialized!

WWJWD…What Would John Wayne Do?

He would endorse Joe Arpaio and make sure he has all the support and resources he needs to lead the fight against illegal immigration and criminals of all stripes, creeds, colors and race.

Sheriff Joe is an American treasure and a true American hero in this age of PC and wimpiness.

GO, SHERIFF JOE, GO!!!