Police sergeant fingers ‘Sheriff Joe’ for obstruction in dramatic contempt hearing

Police sergeant fingers ‘Sheriff Joe’ for obstruction in dramatic contempt hearing

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, self-described as "America's Toughest Sheriff," is facing contempt charges for ignoring a court order to stop rounding up hispanics who are merely suspected of being in the country illegally.

A former supervisor who handled the human smuggling unit for Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona accused the self-billed “America’s Toughest Sheriff” for obstructing his attempts to comply with a court’s order to stop immigration crackdowns.

Arpaio, a showman who had never shied from the spotlight and has reveled in his reputation as a lawman who will get tough on criminals and round up illegal immigrants in sweeps, if facing contempt charges for ignoring a court order in a 2007 racial profiling case. Sergeant Brett Palmer told the U.S. District Court in Phoenix that he had tried to get deputies to comply with the court order, but Arpaio obstructed those efforts and continued to conduct immigration crackdowns in defiance of the courts, according to a Reuters report.

Arpaio has admitted to the violations and offered to pay $100,000 in restitution to civil rights groups, but that may not be enough for Judge Murray Snow, who has ordered Arpaio to appear in court along with a number of members of the sheriff’s office.

Palmer said that the reason why Arpaio obstructed his efforts was simply because it was “contrary to the goals and objectives of the sheriff.”

Palmer also criticized the sheriff for trying to look good in the media and in the public, and said that it was his job and the job of everyone in the sheriff’s office to polish his image, according to the report.

Snow had issued a preliminary injunction years ago, mandating that Arpaio’s office could not simply round up individuals based solely on a suspicion that they were in the country illegally. However, in apparent defiance of this order, Arpaio is accused of continuing his crackdown for another 18 months.

The sheriff is also accused of failing to turn over audio and video recording evidence to the plaintiffs.

Contempt hearings will continue through Friday, and then testimony will pick up again in June.

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