Thread: AZ-Sheriff's SE Valley sweeps log 36 arrests

Sheriff's SE Valley sweeps log 36 arrests
by Edythe Jensen and Megan Boehnke - Jul. 24, 2009 12:00 AM

Sheriff Joe Arpaio brought his crime-suppression sweeps to Chandler for the first time Thursday, alarming city leaders and activists who say it could undo the goodwill built with the Hispanic community following the notorious 1997 roundup in the city.

The three-day operation mobilized 200 deputies and posse volunteers to focus largely on Chandler and Queen Creek, including the Arizona Avenue corridor that runs through downtown Chandler where day laborers gather. That's the location of the roundup conducted by Chandler police and border-patrol agents more than a decade ago.

"What we're afraid of is that it will have a great impact all the work that has been done since the roundup," said Alberto Esparza, founder and director of Chandler-based Si Se Puede! Foundation, a youth organization.
Several hours after the operation began, Arpaio reported 36 arrests in Chandler, Tempe and Mesa. A Sheriff's Office statement said eight apprehended were suspected of being undocumented immigrants.

Chandler Mayor Boyd Dunn said he is disappointed that Arpaio didn't contact him or give the city advance notice of a sweep that should have been coordinated with the Chandler Police Department.

"I'm not going to try to step on any toes and Sheriff Joe has the right to go anywhere in Maricopa County that he wants to. But there should have been some discussion with elected officials as a courtesy," the mayor said.

Arpaio replied it was not necessary for him to give Dunn advance notice.

"Last time I checked, I don't report to the mayor and last I heard Chandler happened to be in the county and I'm the sheriff," Arpaio said. He did notify Chandler Police Chief Sherry Kiyler at 6:30 a.m.

Arpaio said he is targeting the area because it's a corridor from Pinal County and the border for human smuggling.

New to the crime-suppression operation - Arpaio's tenth - is recently elected Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, a former Chandler police officer, who offered up 10 of his deputies.

Babeu said this week's sweeps are a far cry from the Chandler roundup a decade ago. It led to a lawsuit from 16 residents who said they were harassed during the operation even though they were legal citizens. The city paid out $500,000 in a settlement along with its massive legal bills.

"There's no similarities whatsoever," Babeu said following a news conference with Arpaio on Thursday. "What we're doing is looking at traffic violations and then looking at all the other crimes discovered from there, or to go after crimes in progress.

"We're not here to inflame the debate but to evolve the debate and focus on the issue I mentioned before about the 10 percent of this population who commit crime."

Within months of the 1997 roundup, the city worked with activists and residents to rebuild relationships with the Hispanic community. Then-Mayor Jay Tibshraeny swiftly established its Human Relations Commission, a 10 seat panel that examines diversity in the city.

Meetings between police and Hispanic residents are held regularly and other event such as the Cinco De Mayo celebration and Cesar Chavez dinner, a fundraiser for the Chandler-based Si Se Puede! Foundation, were established.

Since then, the Sheriff's Office has raided four Chandler businesses accused of hiring undocumented workers. But no raids approaching the scale of the ones in 1997 have occurred during the past 12 years.

Esparza acknowledged that Chandler officials cannot control the sheriff's actions.

"It's important that the community understands that Sheriff Joe Arpaio is going to do what Sheriff Joe Arpaio does, and that has nothing to do with the city of Chandler," Esparza said.

"It's just the panic and the fear, it's going to affect the way things are done in Chandler for a while, but as long as (Arpaio) is out there, those are going to be concerns."


http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/ar ... ep-CP.html

Go Joe Go!!!!

"What we're afraid of is that it will have a great impact all the work that has been done since the roundup," said Alberto Esparza, founder and director of Chandler-based Si Se Puede! Foundation, a youth organization.

If you are aiding and abetting illegals, or if you ignore the immigration laws in your City I don't blame Sheriff Joe for not notifying you one bit. HE'S doing the job he was ELECTED to do.

200 deputies hit Southeast Valley for 'crime suppression'
Reported by: Christina Boomer
Email: cboomer@abc15.com
Reported by: ABC15.com staff
Last Update: 7/23 11:26 pm

WITH JOE VIDEO

CHANDLER, AZ -- Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio promised "zero tolerance law enforcement" as he began his 10th crime suppression operation Thursday afternoon.

And in a rare move, Arpaio shared the spotlight at a news conference with another Valley sheriff.

Standing alongside the self-proclaimed "America's Toughest Sheriff" was recently elected Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.

Babeu spoke about the importance of enforcing all laws in Arizona to include immigration violations.

He struck a diplomatic note, arguing for people to move away from the highly charged politics of the immigration debate in order to see the bigger picture, which he said, is the degree to which illegal immigration is linked to other violent crimes such as home invasions and kidnappings across the Valley.

Babeu said that the roads in his county are major corridors for illegal smuggling of people and drugs.

The 3-day so-called crime suppression operation in the Southeast Valley that was launched on Thursday involved 200 deputies and posse members with the objective to "deter" crime.

Babeu said recently 10 of his deputies were trained under the Federal Immigration Program known as 287G.

This is the agreement that allows municipalities to enforce immigration laws.

Babeu said that is in part why his office is participating in this operation with MCSO.

It was a good chance to put his deputies' recent training into practice.

Babeu said that in the past seven months he has been conducting similar crime suppression sweeps in Pinal County to include the San Tan Village area.

Sheriff Babeu said the issue is not about racial profiling but about keeping our communities safe.

Earlier this month Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced changes to the controversial 287G program.

The changes were built into a new agreement between it and law enforcement agencies across the country.

According to a DHS news release, current partners will have to re-sign their agreements.

Sheriff Arpaio said those changes may prevent participating law enforcement agencies from deporting an individial if the only crime they commited was entering the country illegally.

Sheriff Arpaio said that the the Federal government told him his current agreement will not change for the next 90 days, but he's not too sure.

He told a gaggle of reporters at the news conference to "stay tuned" because he was uncertain how Immigration and Customs Enforcement would respond to the current 3-day operation.

In a typical act of defiance for the Sheriff he said if ICE or DHS said his tactics would have to change due to the new agreement he will "fire" the federal government and continue his operations using state laws.

Meantime this start of the operation landed on what happened to be the last full working day for Mesa Police Chief George Gascon.

Cheif Gascon will be leaving Friday for his new job as Police Chief for the City of San Francisco in California.

Chief Gascon has been a vocal opponent to Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his practices and policies.

This is why some people were dubbing this operation as a "Farewell Party" the Sheriff was having for Gascon.

When asked about the timing the Sheriff denied even knowing what day Gascon was leaving.

However his recent tweet on the social-networking site Twitter may prove otherwise.

On Wednesday he wrote, "I wish the Mesa police Chief a safe move to San Fran and if I'm ever in San Fran maybe he'll invite me to an Italian dinner."
"Here's the key," explained Sheriff Arpaio, "are we going to be able to utilize our 287G hat to arrest illegals that have no crime, that have not committed a criminal offense other than being here illegally...and i got a gut feeling that I we won't be able to do it anymore."

He said if his gut is right he will make the decision to "fire the Federal" government and drop the agreement.

"Because the secret is we're still going to do the same thing. We have the state laws," and he said his office can still "enforce the federal laws without the oversight,the policy, the restrictions that they put on us because we happen to be 287 and have been sworn in to enforce the federal immigration laws. That is going to be the key, what will this sheriff do if that authority is taken away from him?"

He answered his own question by saying he wil continue doing his job as he has been doing it. "and we will see what ICE's (Immigration Customs Enforcement) response is whether they say you cannot enforce the 287G tonight you got them let them go, stay tuned."

On Thursday night MCSO spokeswoman Lindsey Smith said they expect an answer on Friday. The Sheriff had said he expets the current agreement to stay in place for 90 days.

As of Thursday night at 9pm Smith had said they had arrested 35 people to include 8 "illegals", one teenager for selling Meth, and five who were all arrested during just one traffic stop.


http://www.abc15.com/content/news/south ... aI4YA.cspx

"I'm not going to try to step on any toes and Sheriff Joe has the right to go anywhere in Maricopa County that he wants to. But there should have been some discussion with elected officials as a courtesy," the mayor said.

Arpaio replied it was not necessary for him to give Dunn advance notice.

"Last time I checked, I don't report to the mayor and last I heard Chandler happened to be in the county and I'm the sheriff," Arpaio said.
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I had to chuckle when i read this