Lawmen Arpaio, Gascón a study in contrasts
91 commentsby JJ Hensley and Senta Scarborough - Jun. 29, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
Outside of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, few Valley officials have clashed more with Sheriff Joe Arpaio on illegal-immigration enforcement than Mesa Police Chief George Gascón.

The two have publicly criticized each other's approaches, and their clash played out last week in Mesa, where Arpaio dispatched his deputies for one of his "crime-suppression" sweeps, which strike hard at undocumented immigrants.

Arpaio and Gascón have starkly different worldviews and personalities. Arpaio loves the spotlight and thrives in confrontations that cement his status as "America's toughest sheriff." Gascón has a reputation for seeking out alliances to make his officers more effective.
The Mesa sweep netted 59 arrests - 25 of the arrested people are suspected of being in the country illegally - the most to date of any of Arpaio's high-profile sweeps in Phoenix, Mesa and Guadalupe. Critics say that the arrest totals don't justify the manpower and that the sweeps have little impact on crime.

Gascón, 54, is analytical. He is, in some ways, a policy wonk, having developed computerized statistical models for approaching crime.

A 28-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department before coming to Mesa in 2006, he weighs police responsibilities against resources with a business approach - explorations he has done at Harvard's executive sessions on policing.

Observed Todd Foglesong, a senior research associate at Harvard who has worked with Gascón, "He is asking in the course of doing good work, 'Are we causing any harm?' I think most ethical police chiefs ask this question maybe privately, but he asks it publicly.

"He doesn't assume to know all the answers."

Arpaio, 76, by comparison, portrays himself as a decisive, tell-it-like-it-is lawman.

He has co-written two autobiographies toward that end.

And he is most animated when his self-proclaimed "Italian blood" starts to boil.

This month, he jousted with Gov. Janet Napolitano over a move that took away $1.2 million in state funding that he used, in part, for his sweeps.

Arpaio's disputes with public officials and figures are numerous - with Gordon, Napolitano, Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris, Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox, state Attorney General Terry Goddard, attorney Michael Manning and various activists, legislators and journalists.

Most of the people he has butted heads with favor a more moderate approach to illegal immigrants, preferring to target those committing crimes.


Elected vs. appointed

As an elected official, Arpaio answers ultimately to voters. And he has staked out positions that play well with the public.

Since he took office, the former federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent has been featured in countless magazines and TV shows for his headline-grabbing policies: Forbidding inmates from getting Playboy in the mail, housing them in tents to deal with overcrowding, feeding them green bologna and dressing them in pink underwear.

Arpaio came to Arizona to retire after leaving the DEA in 1982. He helped his wife, Ava, run Starworld Travel Agency and threatened a lawsuit in 1989 when Sheriff Tom Agnos pulled the agency's $500,000 contract with Starworld to bring fugitives back to Phoenix.

Arpaio ran for sheriff against Agnos instead, positioning himself as a reform candidate who leaned heavily on his background as a federal agent. He soundly defeated Agnos and has been re-elected three times.

His critics say the sweeps are nothing more than his latest political stunt.

"The tactics Arpaio is using is easy publicity for him," said Esteban Escobedo, a Tempe attorney. "The immigrants here in Mesa are an easy target for him."

Even supporters such as state Rep. Russell Pearce admit Arpaio's motivations are murky, because the sheriff shied away from immigration issues until recent years.

"I don't even care about motives. We can all guess about the motive," Pearce said. "Simply enforce the law. . . . The border will never be secured without enforcement first."

Gascón, meanwhile, is appointed and answers to the city manager and the City Council, in a city with a sizable Latino population. He says that enforcement efforts that primarily target one's immigration status smack of political, rather than policing, policy.

"As police officers, when we are on duty, we do not get to express our political views. Everyone is offered equal protection," Gascón wrote to staff as he prepared for Arpaio's sweep.

The Mesa City Council has strongly supported Gascón based on the city's improving crime and traffic-safety stats.

At a meeting earlier this year, Councilman Tom Rawles rebuffed the notion that Mesa is a "sanctuary city."

And even if the city were, Rawles said at a council meeting, that would be "the result of decisions made by the people on this side of the table, not Chief Gascón."

Arpaio has a large support base throughout Maricopa County, and tactics like the Mesa sweep strengthen his tough-guy persona.

James Allen, a Sun City West resident and a former Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, believes in the sheriff. It is why he contributed $50 to Arpaio's re-election campaign.

Anita Ingebretsen, a member of the Freedom Riders group, which showed support for the sheriff's sweep Thursday in Mesa, also believes in the sheriff. She stood across from Arpaio protesters, holding a large American flag.

"We just want to represent our side, because we believe illegal immigration is against the law. If they're going to be here, they should be here legally," she said. "Joe is just doing his job, and that's how he sees fit to do it."

Arpaio has raised more than $300,000 for his re-election bid through the first filing period, with the bulk coming in small donations from retirees around the Valley.

Gascón looks to alliances within City Hall and law enforcement to make his policies work. This includes discussions with East Valley police chiefs and the state Attorney General's Office.

Some Arpaio backers think the police chief has higher aspirations and is courting the media to further that cause.

Craig Johnson, 40, a Mesa resident, thinks Gascón wants to return to Los Angeles as chief, a sentiment that has persisted since Gascón arrived in Mesa. It's why he is trying not to antagonize the immigrant community, Johnson says.



Different responsibilities

Arpaio's and Gascón's differing approaches are partly shaped by the departments they lead.

Like other Valley police agencies, Mesa's biggest priority is to keep the city safe.

Gascón believes police need to be focused on the most serious crimes. The challenge, he says, is trying to balance those duties with a growing number of laws and mandates - most of them without new funding.

"The work of local policing has been increasingly defined as a catch-all for many different things," Gascón said. "Some of the old traditional stuff, when a small community is called to deal with barking dogs or annoying neighbors."

Sheriff's offices arguably have more latitude. Besides policing unincorporated areas, their main duties are overseeing county jails and transporting inmates to and from court.

That allows Arpaio to craft policies that sell well to the public: Restricting the privileges of people who have been prosecuted and sentenced or are accused and awaiting trial.



Impact of sweeps

Arpaio's sweeps brought the immigration issue into focus in three neighborhoods this year.

Their success is debatable.

Along East Thomas and East Bell roads, where two of those efforts were concentrated, the impact was negligible in terms of reducing crime reports, according to a Republic analysis of Phoenix police records.

Police calls from those neighborhoods were virtually unchanged. While burglaries near 32nd Street and Thomas dipped, reports of robbery and aggravated assault went up.

Sheriff's officials say the impact of the operations won't necessarily be seen in data.

Arpaio said the sweeps are successful because they have a deterrent effect on illegal immigrants in the community.

As popular as Arpaio is, his critics are vocal, and they swarm the sheriff at his sweeps. Arpaio moved his command post at the last minute on Thursday after Gascón designated areas for protests and coordinated with opposition leaders before the operation.

Gascón said those efforts were to keep the peace.


Reporters Jim Walsh and Megan Boehnke contributed to this article.
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