DOJ lawsuit against Arizona sheriff is blatantly political, say critics

Jim Kouri

Law Enforcement Examiner

To many Americans, Joe Arpaio is an American hero. To others he's an evil police official. However, those who believe he's evil are left-wingers, illegal aliens, and Obama sycophants.

Photo credit: MCSO

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday announced the intent of Attorney General Eric Holder and Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, Thomas Perez to file a civil suit against Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio for alleged racial profiling, according to the DOJ press office.

Holder had previously requested that Arpaio cooperate in the implementation of a court monitor inside Maricopa County Sheriff's Office who would have the authority to clear the activities of the patrol officers and the sheriff's deputies assigned to the county jail and detention facilities.

Arpaio categorically denies all of the profiling allegations and said he will never allow the Obama Administration to "call the shots in his department."

DOJ officials stated that Arpaio's refusal to agree to a court monitor ended those negotiations.

"I do not tolerate racist attitudes or behaviors. We at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office do not foster a 'culture of cruelty,'" Arpaio stated.

Many of Arpaio's colleagues nationwide claim that this latest action by Holder and the DOJ is political in nature and an abuse of power by a supposedly federal law enforcement official.

"Ever since Eric Holder first became Attorney General, after hiding information about his own background during confirmation, he's been harassing Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Now Holder is using the DOJ to attack someone he sees as a political threat to President Barack Obama," said former New York police lieutenant Thomas Bruno.

Bruno referred to the "Cold Case Posse" investigating Obama's birth records, Selective Service identification, and other records as "a likely motive for the DOJ lawsuit." Sheriff Arpaio recently stated that he plans to hold a news conference to reveal more information about his investigation into Obama's eligibility to serve as President and Commander in Chief.

In addition, Arpaio claims he's been denied access to the evidence that the DOJ prosecutors possess that they say proves he violated the civil rights of illegal aliens

The DOJ's notice of intent to sue was sent on Thursday by Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, the director of the civil rights division. According to several sources, Perez has a background in championing left-wing causes including advocating for illegal aliens.

"Today, the Department of Justice did something it has done only once before in the 18-year history of our civil police reform work; we filed a contested lawsuit to stop discriminatory and unconstitutional law enforcement practices," said Perez.

Just as the DOJ was notifying Arpaio of its intent to sue, the sheriff released a new report documenting how his office has handled the issues raised by the DOJ.

"These concerns are fueled by an unfortunate use of language that compounds rather than describes the problem. Terms like 'culture of cruelty' and 'racist' are tossed about in headlines and sound bites, while information to support these claims is not offered or communicated through the mainstream media," Arpaio stated.

"This Justice Department is out of control," said former police sergeant and intelligence officer Donald McRae. "Basically, they are the Obama Administration's goon squad and believe in selective prosecution based on politics."

Arpaio is no stranger to federal law enforcement having served as a federal police official with agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), therefore he's no stranger to Beltway political culture, McRae noted.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Arpaio says has established probable cause in his ongoing investigation that Barack Obama's published birth certificate and Selective Service registration forms are forgeries.

Saturday, May 12, 2012