A federal grand jury in Arizona began hearing a federal prosecutors'
allegations that the popular Maricopa County sheriff, Joe Arpaio abused his
authority. Sheriff Arpaio garnered national attention with his tough
immigration enforcement and to many Americans is known as "America's
Sheriff."
The President Barack Obama's Department of Justice is investigating Sheriff
Arpaio for abuse of power and his questionable conduct aimed at local
officials who routinely oppose his no-nonsense brand of policing and jail
managing.
Almost immediately after taking his oath of office, President Obama and
members of his national security team such as Attorney General Eric Holder
and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have targeted Arpaio, who
is vilified by advocates of open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens.
In 2009, Secretary Napolitano stripped Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff's
Department of its federal authority to arrest suspected illegal immigrants
based solely on their immigration status. The federal authorities under
President Barack Obama wish to do away with local cops enforcing our
nation's immigration laws.
Arpaio's deputies attended the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Training
Center, in Glynco, Georgia, for training in immigration enforcement as part
of their regular law enforcement and jail management duties. In addition to
the DHS attempting to curtail Sheriff Arpaio's immigration enforcement
activities -- he states he will not stop arresting illegal aliens -- Obama's
Attorney General, Eric Holder, threatened to investigate Sheriff Arpaio and
his department.
Maricopa County Manager David Smith and Deputy County Manager Sandi Wilson
have been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury. They say the sheriff
goes after anyone who disagrees with him, and his tactics are over the top
-- like raiding offices and even sending deputies to their homes at night
and during weekends.
Sheriff Arpaio he won't comment on the grand jury, only that he will
continue to do his job.
Arpaio has long clashed with county authorities who accuse him and his
department of using "harsh anti-immigration tactics, making a national name
for himself as he pushed the bounds of local immigration enforcement."
Maricopa County Manager David Smith and Deputy County Manager Sandi Wilson
say they met with a federal prosecutor to discuss the case and will testify
today before a grand jury investigating Arpaio and his deputies..
Last month, Sheriff Arpaio and Maricopa County prosecuting attorney Andrew
Thomas filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against a group of county
administrators, judges and attorneys, accusing them of participating in a
conspiracy to hinder an investigation into the court building and of county
Supervisor Don Stapley.
Arpaio is popular for his tough jail policies. He routinely makes inmates
wear pink underwear and take part in old-style chain gangs in striped
uniforms and serving them green bologna sandwiches.
His crime and immigration sweeps - some in heavily Hispanic areas of
metropolitan Phoenix - have drawn criticism that his deputies were racially
profiling people. Arpaio says people pulled over in the sweeps were
approached because deputies had probable cause to believe they had committed
crimes.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Arpaio's office over
allegations of discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures --
a probe that the sheriff and his millions of supporters believe is a result
of his immigration efforts.
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association
of Chiefs of Police and he's a columnist for The Examiner (examiner.com) and
New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he's a blogger for the
Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also
serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael
Moriarty.
He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights
nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In
addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university
and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served
on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers
throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security
magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and
others. He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com,
MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com.
Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news
and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN
Headline News, MTV, etc.
