Above and beyond the call of duty - just about ten years in October. Arpaio is in an election campaign to take over the seat of Senator Jeff Flake. Former Mayor Scott Smith, who resigned to wage an unsuccessful campaign to be Governor of Arizona, got a consolation prize to be President/CEO of Valley Metro. . . . O yeah, Everything Under The Sun
East Valley Tribune
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Arpaio raids Mesa City Hall; mayor outraged
Mayor outraged by sweep for illegal migrantsby Gary Nelson, Michael Kiefer and JJ Hensley - Oct. 17, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
" . . . Predawn raid Arpaio said the raid was set up after a sheriff's undercover detective infiltrated the cleaning business, claiming to be an undocumented immigrant, and was schooled by a manager in how to obtain false identification that would get him past federal identification verification software.The Arizona Republic
About 30 deputies and 30 volunteer posse members in bulletproof vests and carrying semi-automatic weapons prepared for the operation in Pioneer Park across from the Mormon Temple shortly after midnight. . . Mayor Scott Smith, who appeared distraught as he spoke with reporters, said he also took great offense that City Hall was targeted.
"The citizens of Mesa, Arizona, this is their City Hall. (It) was, in my belief, violated by another government agency. I don't believe that's proper . . . and I believe that also crosses the line as to what law enforcement should do," he said. . .
Questions denied
Arpaio denied questions about whether the raid was politically motivated or that it was timed to deflect attention from a videotape that surfaced Wednesday depicting the brutal death of an inmate at a county jail, which his office runs. The inmate's family has filed intent to sue the county.
Joining Arpaio in an afternoon press conference, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas said the cleaning company had been under investigation for months. When asked why Mesa police could not handle the case, Arpaio said, "It's my jurisdiction, too. You seem to forget."
Then he suggested that there was something in the Mesa police "culture" that "they do not want to enforce the immigration laws."
Smith denied that, saying Mesa police cooperate routinely with other law agencies. Smith said he's not trying to pick a fight with Arpaio and hopes to meet with the sheriff to talk about how the city and county can cooperate in the future.
History of discord
Thursday's raid is the latest in several immigration-related incidents this year involving the Sheriff's Office and the Valley's second-largest city.
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Photo by TheRagBlog.
The July 20th issue of The New Yorker paints a detailed portrait of Maricopa County, Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio—and it is not a pretty picture. The profile of “Sheriff Joe” that emerges from the story by journalist William Finnegan is that of a man obsessed with publicity and self-promotion, who has a deep streak of sadism and little regard for the U.S. Constitution, civil rights, actual crime-fighting, or protecting the safety of the public he ostensibly serves. While Arpaio persists in his personal crusade against unauthorized immigrants, serious crimes go unsolved, emergency-response times climb, and the rights of native-born Americans and immigrants alike are routinely trampled in the process. The most remarkable aspect of this story is that Arpaio is still legally permitted to carry a badge and a gun after more than a decade and a half of egregiously abusing his power
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