Maricopa County's Sheriff Arpaio honored with national award
Reported by: Katrina Wessman
Email: kwessman@abc15.com
Last Update: 3:50 pm

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio received a national award in Tennessee over the Memorial Day weekend.

Arpaio was honored with the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award from the Buford Pusser Foundation.

Pusser became Sheriff of McNairy County after moving to Adamsville in the 1960s.

Pusser gained a reputation for cleaning up the illegal operations on the Tennessee-Mississippi state line that included gambling, prostitution, and moonshine whisky.

Movies and a television series were produced about the sheriff and weekly newspaper reports portrayed him as a threat to anyone breaking the law in McNairy County.

Pusser was killed in a car accident in 1974.

Arpaio said meeting with people who knew and worked with Sheriff Buford Pusser was a memorable and moving experience.

Police, deputies, officials, and others from all over the United States and Canada attended the event in Adamsville.

"I appreciated the award, but what was really gratifying was the opportunity to meet personally with Sheriff Pusser's family & friends and hearing their stories about their beloved Sheriff," said Arpaio.

"Had he been alive as Sheriff today, he might have been called the toughest Sheriff in America."

Copyright 2008 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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