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    Justice Department accuses AZ Sheriff Joe Arpaio of mistreating Latinos

    Arpaio (AP)The Justice Department released a 22-page report today accusing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of presiding over officers who engage in racial profiling and infringe upon people's civil rights. The federal government is giving the controversial Arizona sheriff until January 4 to agree to make changes to his program or face legal action.

    Justice department officials have been investigating Arpaio's office for more than three years for what they allege is "unconstitutional policing." Arpaio, who calls himself the toughest sheriff in America, has been unapologetic about his focus on illegal immigration, publicizing a "tent city" where he kept inmates in the desert and dressed them in pink underwear.

    The report accuses Maricopa officers of stopping and questioning people because they look Latino and retaliating against people in the community who complain about those practices. A statistical analysis commissioned by the Justice Department found that Maricopa County officers are at least four times more likely to stop Latino drivers than they would be to stop "similarly situated" non-Latino drivers.

    The same survey found that detention officers were to punish Latino inmates with solitary confinement if they didn't understand commands in English. Detention officers refused to accept paperwork such as complaints or requests from inmates if they were written in Spanish. The officers are also accused of calling inmates "wetbacks" and other slurs.

    The Justice Department says Arpaio would receive "racially charged" notes from citizens in the county complaining of people with dark skin or people who spoke Spanish in a certain area and asking Arpaio to look into the incidents. Arpaio occasionally forwarded these letters to subordinates, adding his own notes that "appear to endorse" the letters' content, according to the Justice inquiry.

    "Many of  these letters contain no meaningful descriptions of  criminal activity--just  crude, ethnically derogatory language about Latinos," Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez wrote. The sheriff has not yet responded to our request for comment.

    The sheriff's office admitted a few weeks ago to not properly investigating nearly 500 child molestation and sexual assault cases over three years.

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    46 comments

    • me  •  14 days ago
      5 mexicans just robbed a bank, the police put out a bulletin that they are looking for 5 suspects..all mexicans....all non english speaking, all without proper ID. But wait.....here comes the federal govt justice department saying...cant do that..cant look for mexican looking people cause that is discrimination.
    • Sharp Sword  •  2 mths ago
      Glad this SOB is being brought to justice. He thinks he is above the law. Make him pay. Give and it shall be given to you, disrespect and hate must be not tolerated. There is a law that must be respected.
    • G.scott  •  Birmingham, Alabama  •  3 mths ago
      Mariob, Suzanne along with others---you bleeding hearts can kiss my arse. They are invaders and they are milking our Welfare system and claiming not to be married but in actuality they are and as illegals they should not be elligible for any benefit that Honest working citizens have to pay for. Sherrif I salute you for doing the job the Fed Govt should be dooing but refuses to do so they can keep them here and keep themselves in office. Run them out and send them home and whioe we are at it lets see if we can send Obama and the Pelosi clan with them since they think so much of them. Americans need to make their children work in the summers for the farmers. Oh that would be cruel..#$%$ all the children did it when I was young living in NC. and growing up. When the economy falls apart and it will very soon you liberal cry babies will not make it.
      • G.scott 3 mths ago
        Sorry Suzanne I forgot to comment on your post---I agree that those should be investigated and thrown out with the illegals if that is what you are saying.
      • G.scott 3 mths ago
        Diablito--#$%$
    • Open your eyes  •  2 mths ago
      Sheriff Joe, come to CA.! This state gives more rights to illegals than citizens themselves!
      Illegal populations has decreased in Arizona. Thats good enough for me. PC is killing this country and this country needs to grow a pair. The simple truth is most illegals are coming from Mexico. So, who should we look? The Irish? If you're not doing anything wrong or illegal, then you'll be on your way fast enough.
    • suzanne  •  3 mths ago
      Obama, Holder and the rest of the Brownshirts in that administration should be investigated.
    • Diablito  •  Los Angeles, California  •  3 mths ago
      Sheriff Joe needs to GO...to hell. Where I'll be waiting with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch.
      • Open your eyes 2 mths ago
        You go to mexico and support them. We're tired of it.
    • mariob  •  Fort Worth, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      This guy makes no sense and is an attention junkie to which you close minded fools feed into.The economic crash has a lot to do with irresponsible money borrowing for housing , not from illegals. As a matter of fact alot of cities and states are doing bad because they are being forced to have to pay more to non illegals who can't handle the hard work and do less. Joke is on you racist bigots , but I wouldn't expect you all with closed minds to to really understand how economy works.
    • Stephanie  •  Denver, Colorado  •  4 mths ago
      All of you have no heart and are selfish! You need to get over yourselves and stop thinking about you, you, and only you. God made this land for all of us, he did not just make it for you. Why is it that other ethnicities come in illegally, but when a hispanic/ latino comes everyone is quick to judge. I don't see more than half of you picking out the great fruit you eat or anything else that's grown out on the fields. It's one thing to be disappointed in the women who come here to breed and take free government care on purpose but what about the hispanics that were raised here before any of these stupid laws came into effect. My father is from Mexico, he's the hardest worker I know, and all I see is a bunch of ignorant people discriminating against my race and culture because they're to lazy to get up and work hard themselves. I truly dislike how everyone(not all, but most) here are so quick to judge yet you cry when you don't get things done fast enough or everything handed to you. And the justice department is right, Arpaio has found so many reasons to deport people for things that they didn't even do, or even arrest/ question them for no reason. He and his followers think that what they're doing is right, but it's not. It's a clear act of racism and I thought we were past that for many years now, but it seems like people just can't seem to grow up and stop crying like babies.
      • anchorsaway 3 mths ago
        Why is it NO other ethnicities are crying like the latrine O"s? Why is it only they think its ok to break our laws? I work 50 to 60 hours every week holding two jobs & my tax $$$ is wasted on illegals & anchor brats instead of enforcement & deportations, enough is enough! If we grant amnesty in haste{again} we WILL regret it at our leisure as most loyal & legal Americans do now! It did not work in 1986 & it wont help even 1 American now! The 5 million we gave amnesty to turned into 30 million illegals & lord knows how many anchor brats now. Your raza,racizm & impotent culture are whats holding you back not America so why should we pay your way & tolerate you breaking our laws just because your latino? 50.3% of all new FEDERAL {not Sherrif joe, or illegals} inmates are hispanics,{ap 0/6/11} get rid of them & cut Americas crime rates in half! Its racizm to make everyone else obey the laws exept latinos dont you think? Insanity is doing the same things over & over expecting different results, all amnesty will result in is more foreign criminals & their parasitic offspring!
      • Sharp Sword 2 mths ago
        Is it because they are the only ones asked for I.D. for everything and no other ethnicities, is it because they are discriminated against in everything? Just read the Post about the Rodriguez Puerto Rican basketball player? Ha, well. If you do not know what is like to be discriminated against, you don't know.... sh.....
    • Al  •  Charlottesville, United States  •  5 mths ago
      Wow! they could not sue the member of the black panther on what they didduring Obama's elction because they intimidating no obamavoters...but thye accuses the sheriff of volating civil rights....what a joke......
    • lola  •  5 mths ago
      Who is crossing illegal into America? Mostly Mexican and other Hispanics are entering the USA illegal. So, of across that is who will be arrested and target the most. The Feds are going out of their way to attack an American citizen who is doing his job. The current administration in the White House are the problem
    • fl1014  •  Chattanooga, United States  •  5 mths ago
      the Justice department was going to seek out and find those responsible for the economic crash in America , find those responsible for the greed and corruption across America ... so where are the stories about those held responsible ----------- not a word anywhere !
      • Baconservative 5 mths ago
        Yeah we haven't even had the government enabled ID'd for that spiral.
      • kevins 5 mths ago
        Well, we should have jailed Bush and Cheney, and investigated and dismantled the Republican party when it stole the election in 2000. Gore got more votes than Bush. Simple. MORE VOTES. Then, Republicans subverted democracy by stopping the counting and took the White House due to a right-leaning supreme court. So ... now we know who is responsible. Get cracking on rounding them up, start with Halliburton which got no-bid contracts from their former CEO and then lost 6 billion. The war and the Bush tax cuts account for HALF the deficit that the teabaggers are now whining about as if they didn't rubber stamp it when Bush was wearing flightsuits and telling us we had to bailout the banks.
      • Open your eyes 14 days ago
        Oh Kevin. Still the Bush thing? He's gone. The bigger nightmare is present
    • Mason Cuda  •  Orlando, United States  •  5 mths ago
      Illegal aliens mistreat American taxpayers every day. Since when did an illegal alien come before an American sheriff just doing his job?
      • CHEECH 5 mths ago
        You idiot. The people who complained are US or legal residents because illegals have no rights.
      • fourtyfivefan 3 mths ago
        If it's so baD, THEN LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    • Ronald  •  5 mths ago
      Get over it. Jan brewer (Gin Press Jan) and Joe Arpaio (Donut Hole joe) Both think the Consitution doesn't included Arizona. But then again joe mis-spent or misplaced 100 million dollars this year (BACK YARD ?) and Jan can't remember a three line speech though she thinks Donuthole Joe is doing a Great Job. What was her cut ?
    • Legal Citizen  •  Austin, United States  •  5 mths ago
      If the freakin illegals weren't allowed to run rampant in America, people would't be so quick to judge... Go Joe!!!
    • El Savior  •  Brooklyn, United States  •  5 mths ago
      If the justice department wont step up to the plate and be part of the solution, they could at least step out of the sheriff's way and stop being part of the problem.
    • Tex Beerman  •  Denver, United States  •  5 mths ago
      I hope Arizona goes bankrupt from the perpetual harassment of their unappreciated cheap work force.
    • victim of changes  •  5 mths ago
      ok, so i have had my civil rights violated every time i have been pulled over and asked for my identification since i have been old enough to drive? no, because im white? but its mostly whites where i live, have we been profiled ? or do we understand that its not that big of a deal to present your license and insurance when asked by police? unless you are illegal in some way. now , not properly investigating any reported crime is just wrong and action needs to be taken if its fact. ERIC HOLDER should be prosecuted as well.
    • Josie  •  Miami, Florida  •  5 mths ago
      That's illegal in Arizona, I don't think so. They're lucky the weren't shot on sight!
    • notatxan  •  Fort Worth, United States  •  5 mths ago
      It amazes me that Arizona, Governor Jan Brewer and Sheriff Joe Arpaio have all tried to do something about the illegal mexican problem in their State, THEIR HOME, trying to protect the people of Arizona from the illegal mexicans criminal activities and the Federal Government does nothing to help them then turns the world up side down to make them look like the bad guys. The illegal mexicans (with the aid or their legal mexican friends) are protected by this government even thought they broke the laws coming here and by staying here. The legal citizens of this country are treated like second class citizens and are turned away if benefits are needed for their families but given to illegal mexicans like candy at halloween. Why should illegal mexicans have a problem being asked for ID's when legal citizens are asked for ID's almost every day?? Why should illegal mexicans or those mexicans in jail for criminal activities complain about anything??? They didn't care about our rights when they broke the laws and stole from us so why are we concerned about their rights?? How can this be considered racism when a being a mexican is not a race but instead a nationality? I'm boycotting everything mexican and will not deal with any business that hires illegal mexicans. It's time for the Federal Government to quit pampering this illegal roaches and start taking care of those who pay the bills.
    • Chico Lopezinski  •  5 mths ago
      Ever notice there are 2 blacks, Holder and Obama that are not doing their jobs that are targeting 2 whites, Arpaio and Brewer for doing their jobs.. Who's racially profiling who?
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