Unprecedented DOJ Suit Seeks Documents From Sheriff Joe Arpaio for Civil Rights Probe
A controversial Arizona sheriff who seemingly scores points with many of his constituents by acting as something of a law unto himself was sued today by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to cooperate with an ongoing civil rights investigation.
The suit was virtually a foregone conclusion, notes the CNN Justice blog, after Sheriff Joe Arpaio, in a characteristically aggressive fashion, made his refusal to provide requested documents public in an open letter posted on Maricopa County’s website. The suit was filed in federal court in Phoenix.
The investigation concerns claims that the sheriff’s department has been conducting sweeps that violate the constitutional rights of immigrants.
However, Arpaio said he was surprised and disappointed by the suit and thought the document issue was close to resolution, reports the Arizona Republic.
He said his office doesn’t target Latino citizens due to their race and contended that the Justice Department wouldn’t need to sue him to get records if it had any racial profiling evidence.
Asked about the suit today as he appeared with state senator Russell Pearce at a press conference on another topic, Arpaio responded “They can sue me but, as Russell always says, ‘Take the handcuffs off the cops.’ ” And, Arpaio added, “I’m not going to be intimidated by the federal government going to court against us,” the newspaper recounts.
A DOJ spokeswoman said it has been 30 years since any police agency has refused to cooperate with a civil rights investigation, and the feds have never before had to sue in such a situation to force a police agency to provide access to relevant documents, according to the Republic.
