New Report: Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Notorious Record

Today America's Voice Education Fund released a new report detailing the long, disturbing and ineffective record of Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. Self-promoted as "America's Toughest Sheriff" and widely feared by Latino immigrants for his harsh tactics, the report suggests that Sheriff Joe is better at garnering media attention than he is at fighting crime. This is especially relevant because Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona recently signed into law SB 1070, which essentially mandates that Arpaio's controversial and ineffective tactics be implemented statewide.

The report reveals some 21 examples of Arpaio's disturbing record, among them:

• Violent crime rates have risen under Arpaio's watch while they have fallen throughout the rest of Arizona.
• Arpaio's department has not served over 40,000 felony warrants.
• Arpaio has been suspected of misspending $50 million in taxpayer funds and refused to turn over his records for an investigation.
• Over 2,700 lawsuits have been filed against Arpaio.
• The Maricopa County Sheriff's Department is or has been under investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Departments of Justice and Labor.
• Evidence exists that Arpaio forced an undocumented mother to give birth while handcuffed to a bed.

In contrast to Arpaio's tactics, which have created deep distrust between the Latino community and law enforcement, the Police Executive Research Forum and scores of law enforcement leaders across the nation have spoken out about the need for strong relationships between police and immigrant communities, and the responsibility of the federal government to pass comprehensive immigration reform that turns undocumented workers into legal citizens.