Thread: AZ-Sheriff Joe planning another crime sweep tonight

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Sheriff Joe planning another crime sweep tonight



07:45 AM Mountain Standard Time on Thursday, April 23, 2009

Javier Soto and Catherine Holland / azfamily
April 23rd, 2009
Another controversial sweep

Maricopa County deputies and posse members will be out in force tonight for another crime suppression operation, but the exact location is being kept under wraps for the moment.
Expected to start at 5 p.m.
Details still under wraps

MARICOPA COUNTY -- Maricopa County deputies and posse members will be out in force tonight for another crime suppression operation, but the exact time and location are being kept under wraps.

Similar crime sweeps have stirred up controversy of the past year, with some calling the operations nothing more than racial profiling. The sweeps, which are conducted under the 287(g) program, which allows local law-enforcement agencies to arrest illegal immigrants, are also the center of a hearing earlier this month in the U.S. House of Representative, a hearing to which Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he was not invited.

Arpaio said at the time that he was not concerned about not testifying at the hearing.

“I'm not concerned. I'm going to continue to enforce the illegal immigration laws," he said. "I'll never be forced out. They can put that in their pipe.â€

Some 200 deputies and posse volunteers were expected to gather at about 5 p.m. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said it will release more information about tonight's planned sweep later in the day.

You ROCK, Joe! I'd volunteer for that posse if I lived there.

[quote]
“I'm not concerned. I'm going to continue to enforce the illegal immigration laws," he said. "I'll never be forced out. They can put that in their pipe.â€

If we could just get the Federal govt to do the same thing regarding illegals...ah, one can dream.

Ostrich

254 comments so far at the source link.
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April 23, 2009
Sheriff launches latest sweep in Avondale

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- A handful of people have been arrested in Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's latest crime suppression sweep launched by Thursday evening in Avondale.

Expanding on bare details of the announcement it gave Wednesday, Arpaio's office sent a statement Thursday, saying 200 posse volunteers and deputies would participate and the command post would be at the sheriff's Avondale substation, near Dysart Road and Van Buren.

Similar operations in the past have led to complaints that Arpaio is engaging in racial profiling, targeting Hispanics while looking for illegal immigrants. The sheriff has denied that and said he is simply looking for criminals.

"We stop everybody," told reporters Arpaio Thursday evening. "We don't care what they are. We've gone into Fountain Hills, all different areas of this county."

Arpaio said he would continue to do his job despite accusations of racism.

"So this racial profiling is just garbage. That's all they can talk about including some politicians that accuse me and some of my deputies of racism."

Protesters were on hand chanting "racist, racist."

Some called him a tyrant and a clown. One group said they "want no more Joe."

"It's not that we're violating the law. It's just he needs to understand people come here to have a better life. Everybody comes from somewhere else. Just because you have a light skin, doesn't mean you have more rights than us," said one female protester.

Avondale police joined in to keep the peace, but top brass within the department say they are taking no part in the sweep.

The latest operation drew criticism Thursday from former state lawmaker and immigrants' rights activist Alfredo Gutierrez.

He denounced it as just another public relations stunt by Arpaio.

"He's been on Stephen Colbert and presumably, after all this, he might even get invited on Oprah. Who knows?" Gutierrez said, referring to Arpaio's appearance Monday night with Colbert on Comedy Central.

Gutierrez added, "He will keep up this suppression until the evening news. He'll be live at a 5 p.m. news conference, he'll go home and watch TV, then he'll come back at 10 o'clock and do a live TV interview again, then they'll close it down."

Gutierrez said the sheriff's crime sweeps do nothing but intimidate the Latino community.

"Forget deported. You might just get hassled to an incredible degree. And that's the kind of fear that's going on all over this country. He (Arpaio) knows the consequence of what he's doing, so I can only assume it's purposeful."

Avondale Assistant Police Chief Lynn Parkin says they were informed of the sweep Thursday morning.

"What's important for us is that we do have that information," she said. "Throughout this sweep as long as the Sheriff is here in the Southwest Valley, our goal is to maintain the peace."

The sweep will continue through Friday.

The Justice Department is looking into Arpaio's sweeps.

http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=1138210

Some called him a tyrant and a clown. One group said they "want no more Joe."

"It's not that we're violating the law. It's just he needs to understand people come here to have a better life. Everybody comes from somewhere else. Just because you have a light skin, doesn't mean you have more rights than us," said one female protester.

[/b]

HUH?!?!? Illegal aliens DO violate the law. Everyone wants a "better life", but not everyone will break laws to get it.

"No more Joe"? Gee, wonder why he keeps getting reelected by a landslide every time?