America's Toughest Sheriff

Who says I don't take requests?  A request from The Princess to blog about Sheiff Joe.

Joe Arpaio is the Sheriff of Maricopa County here in Arizona.  He is the self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America."  His "tent city" for non-violent, short-stay offenders has earned him both kudos for saving money on incarceration and also provided a seemingly powerful detriment to petty criminals who don't want to have to spend 3 days in the Phoenix summer where temperatures can hover over 110 degrees.  He is also popular for his pink prison uniforms and green bologna.  He is also popular for his stance on immigration and has been enforcing (some would argue, over enforcing) immigration laws for years.  He commonly has immigration sweeps in various parts of the county.  He is currently being investigated by the Justice Department for numerous items.  He is also a seriously huge egomaniac who I think considers himself above the law in many matters.  He is someone who is either loved or loathed.  Not much in between.  I loathe him.

Since Phoenix is located in Maricopa County and is, by far, the largest population center in the state, the political goings on of the County Board of Supervisors is not particularly interesting.  Apparently, they have felt the need to spice things up a bit.  I can't go into all the sordid details, but there has been a fued for many years between certain supervisors, Sheriff Arpaio, and the seemingly revolving door that is the County Attorney's office.  The most recent tally indicates that the county taxpayers have paid for nearly $5.6 million in lawsuits filed by, for, or against the county supervisors, the sheriff's office, and the county attorney's office.  If the phrase, "Throw the bastards out!" ever had any meaning in local politics, it certainly applies to these idiots.

A recent article in the Arizona Republic indicates that the Sheriff's office and misspent nearly $50 million.  This was all in the last FOUR years!

In yet another investigation into Arpaio, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu is investigating one of Arpaio's aides.  This is not going over to well with some county supervisors since Babeu is himself, and egotistical twit, and is seen as a political ally to Arpaio.  Sheriff Paul Babeu, if you recall, got is 15 seconds of fame by being interviewed on Fox News for a story I described early in my blog.