Thread: AZ-Impact of Arpaio's crime sweeps is unclear

Impact of Arpaio's crime sweeps is unclear
by Dennis Wagner - Oct. 4, 2008 12:00 AM

Shortly after sunrise on a Thursday in late August, a half-dozen immigrants watched nervously as Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies pulled over an aging sedan.

The Hispanic driver, a day laborer, was handcuffed and placed in the rear of a patrol car.

Nearby, his Mexican and Guatemalan friends shuffled their feet outside an auto-repair shop, a pickup spot for workers in Fountain Hills.
Five months earlier, Fountain Hills and this site were targeted in one of the sheriff's crime-suppression sweeps against illegal immigrants, 16 of whom were rounded up for deportation.

That hasn't stopped day laborers from gathering on the corner at Saguaro Boulevard each morning, hoping a contractor will drive up offering work.

The story is the same in Mesa, Phoenix and other communities where Sheriff Joe Arpaio cracked down on immigrant-laborer hangouts: Workers returned within days, though sometimes in smaller numbers.

The impact of the sweeps on crime is less clear. The sheriff's goal for the sweeps is to improve public safety and suppress crime, plus drive out illegal immigrants.

In four of five smaller areas where sweeps occurred, calls for assistance increased or were relatively flat right after the raid compared with the same period a year earlier. In the other area, they declined.

In neighborhoods of north and east Phoenix, data show that total violent crimes rose after deputies conducted saturation raids. In Fountain Hills, sheriff's statistics show deputies dealt with more major crimes this June than they did in June 2007, yet fewer overall crimes.

At the least, residents and business owners agree, Arpaio has sent a daunting message to undocumented immigrants and would-be employers, warning that immigration laws are being enforced.

Jose, one of the immigrants who gathers in Fountain Hills in the morning, said the raids sent shivers through his community. "I have many friends who left Arizona for Las Vegas and other places," said Jose, who declined to give his last name. "We're always watching."

Jose said he risks arrest so he can provide for his two children, who were born in the United States. He has spent 13 years in the U.S. but lost his job at a concrete company months ago when the employer had to verify his Social Security number.

As Jose spoke, a landscaping truck approached. The driver slowed as if to stop, then saw the deputies nearby and veered away. Jose and his friends shook their heads ruefully.


Impact on immigration

To date, Arpaio has carried out eight high-profile crackdowns in six Valley cities.

Those operations involved hundreds of sworn deputies putting in thousands of work days. They arrested about 400 people, including more than 200 suspected illegal immigrants.

The state's illegal-immigrant population is estimated at about 500,000, the lion's share in metropolitan Phoenix. Assuming 300,000 reside in Maricopa County, the saturation patrols netted 0.4 percent of the total.

When Arpaio began his sweeps in March, he insisted they were "crime suppression" efforts rather than immigration roundups. But he vowed to detain every illegal immigrant encountered and touted the number arrested for deportation.

Arpaio targeted communities based on citizen requests or on what he said were reports of surging crime.

At Cave Creek and Bell roads, for example, business owners signed a petition complaining of day laborers. In Guadalupe, Arpaio's office said there was a crime wave. In Mesa, the sheriff responded to an invitation from state lawmakers, plus pointed to crime activity in earlier months.

Arpaio says his operations have scared many immigrants out of the state. But it may be impossible to separate the effects of sweeps from other factors, such as the economy, employer sanctions, anti-smuggling enforcement and stepped-up federal detention policies.

Regardless, supporters say the sheriff deserves praise for rounding up illegal immigrants when virtually no other police agency would do the job.

"I love Joe. He's the kind of guy we need," said Russell Schmunk, 85, of Cave Creek. "We don't need no pansies, guys who slap your wrist. . . . I hope he sweeps it clean, sweeps everybody out."

Others, including civil libertarians and Latino leaders, claim the tactic amounts to unconstitutional racial profiling, which Arpaio denies.

Melissa Jones, an employee at Astro Cleaners on Thomas Road at 32nd Street, said Arpaio's raid there had nothing to do with stopping crime.

"Prejudice. Being racist. That's what it's all about," Jones said. "I think he needs to do his job and get real criminals off the streets. All they (immigrants) are doing is trying to make money for survival."

Guadalupe Mayor Rebecca Jimenez has characterized an April sweep in her community as a media stunt that wound up hassling local residents over minor traffic violations. During that raid, protesters got so worked up that Arpaio departed his command post.

Arpaio subsequently decided to cancel his office's law-enforcement contract with Guadalupe, and the town then sued, arguing he must finish out the contract through 2010.

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon requested a Justice Department investigation of Arpaio's campaign against illegal immigration. In an August speech, Gordon blasted the Sheriff's Office for undermining law enforcement by arresting undocumented immigrants who are victims of crime.

"If the victim of a sexual assault is in the country illegally, it's more important for us to catch the rapist than to turn the victim over to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)," the mayor said.

Arpaio, who did not respond to interview requests for this story, has brushed off every criticism.

"The people of this county, poll after poll, said they want local law enforcement to be involved in fighting this increased problem of illegal immigration," he noted in April. "Their voice is what I listen to."


Effects on crime

Arpaio has said the purpose of the sweeps is "crime suppression," and his office's action plans for each sweep echo that mission.


The sheriff's action plan describes crime-suppression sweeps as "a countywide initiative to enhance the safety and security of the citizens." When deputies flooded into Mesa, their orders were simple: "All criminal and traffic violations encountered will be dealt with appropriately. . . . Contacts will only be made with valid probable cause." Arpaio's office cited crime figures as the impetus.

Phoenix police have produced crime stats for areas where the Sheriff's Office launched sweeps in March, targeting precincts near 32nd Street and Thomas Road first, then Cave Creek Road at Bell Road. There were 85 arrests, including 49 suspected illegal immigrants.

According to city records, officers working those beats answered about 10 percent more violent-crime calls in the month after Arpaio's suppression effort than during the month before. However, while post-raid calls for service increased near Cave Creek and Bell, they declined near 32nd Street and Thomas, compared with the same month the year before.

In almost all cities or neighborhoods where sweeps occurred, the crime trends in the month afterward reflected the same trends of months leading up to the sweeps. That would indicate other factors are affecting crime.

Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris has argued that illegal-immigrant sweeps divert resources from serious crime-fighting and undermine law enforcement by making illegal immigrants fearful of police.

Mesa Police Chief George Gascon publicly fretted that pro- and anti-Arpaio demonstrations might lead to violence.

Chagolla, the Sheriff's Office spokesman, said the sweeps are part of a comprehensive approach to crime that includes illegal immigration. "There is an impact on crime" when one considers the broader approach, which also involves jail screening and the human-smuggling unit, he said.

Many citizens agree with Arpaio.

Slade Grove, owner of Wicked Bakery, who signed a petition asking deputies to raid day-labor hangouts on Cave Creek Road, said he's satisfied even though the shop recently was hit by burglars. "Arpaio sent a message that he was going to enforce the laws," Grove said.

"I'm a former police officer and a former judge, and he's upholding the law," said Stephen West, 69, of Cave Creek.


A business perspective

Down the street from the bakery, several Hispanic laborers loitered in hopes of work.

Alfredo Valenzuela, a landscaper, acknowledged being afraid but said making a living is paramount. Jobs are scarce, he added, with only one contractor stopping by in two days. "It's because of the sheriff," Valenzuela said. "We aren't thieves. We don't break the law. We're nothing more than workers."

Across the street, a security guard prowled the parking lot, shooing laborers away from businesses. "We lost a lot of customers because of men standing all over the place," said Francine Johnson, a trainer at Curves exercise center. "The sheriff seems to be one of the few people willing to do anything."

Johnson conceded that local immigrants hadn't hassled any customers to her knowledge. "They're wonderful people. The majority of them out there are not criminals," she said. "But, you know, when you have a room full of ladies, you'll never convince them they're not going to be assaulted."

Two doors away, a different perspective: "It's not just," said German Leon, owner of Desert Design Group interiors store. "These (immigrants) are peaceful people. . . . Many of their children are born here. Where are they going to go?"


http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... s1004.html

I don't care what the results are, Joe is doing the right thing. This man should be Govenor or President.