Yesterday, the East Valley Tribune started a 5 part Special Report on Joe Arpaio's immigration enforcement operations.

The series is much too long to post here, but anyone interested in reading it can follow along at the Trib site.

I haven't read today's version of the "facts", but can tell you that part one was definitely pro-illegal to the point of being ridiculous.

For instance, readers are fully expected to believe that....in the presence of reporters doing ride-alongs and present at the station..... deputies and detectives engaged in unethical conduct, such as harassing drivers suspected of driving load vehicles carrying smuggled IAs and "making up" probable cause reasons for traffic stops targeting latinos.


Such as this little gem:


The navy blue Chrysler wasn’t speeding. Or weaving. Its tail lights worked and the Oregon license plate was clearly displayed. Driving through Wickenburg on U.S. 93 one evening in early January, Cosme said he was certain illegal immigrants filled the van.

But the human smuggling detective could not yet prove it. So Cosme pressured the driver.

He raced up behind the van in his unmarked silver Jeep Commander, waiting for a mistake, for any probable cause to make a stop.

Cosme would ultimately use an alleged moving violation as his probable cause on that January evening. But first he needed to make sure the blue van was indeed what he was after.

Abruptly, the detective swerved into the left lane and, coming frighteningly close to the vehicle, used his front beams like search lights on the van’s windows, illuminating a crowd of human shadows.

The detective switched on his dashboard’s emergency lights. The sheriff’s office had caught another load vehicle.

“Failure to signal,â€