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(CNSNews.com) - The Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Arizona following requests by congressional Democrats and allegations by liberal activists that the department has violated the civil rights of illegal aliens.

Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), and Robert Scott (D-Va.) requested the investigation, and activists groups such as National Day Laborer Organizer Network and ACORN launched petition drives and rallies in support of the probe...

The investigation focuses on Sheriff Joe Arpaio and dozens of officers under his command who were trained through the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance Safety and Security (ACCESS), which partners federal and local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws. (The Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement division is known popularly as ICE.)

In a letter dated March 10, 2009, Loretta Smith, acting assistant attorney general at the DOJ, detailed what her department would be investigating:

"This is to inform you that the United States Department of Justice is commencing an investigation of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (''MCSO'') pursuant to the pattern or practice provisions of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994,42 U.S.C. §14141 ("Section 14141") and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968,42 U.S.C. § 3789d ("Safe Streets Act"), and pursuant to the prohibitions against national origin discrimination in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d to 2000d-7 ("Title Yr') and the Safe Streets Act, 42 U.S.C. § 3789d(c)."

The letter continues: "The investigation will focus on alleged patterns or practices of discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures conducted by the MCSO, and on allegations of national origin discrimination, including failure to provide meaningful access to MCSO services for limited English proficient (LEP) individuals."

"In conducting the investigation, we will seek to determine whether there are violations of the above laws by the MCSO," the letter says.

Sheriff Arpaio's efforts to enforce immigration laws have been the focus of previous criticism, but Arpaio has defended his department and the results his ICE-trained officers have netted.

Concerning the DOJ’s investigation, Arpaio told CNSNews.com: “I will not back down. What I am doing is upholding the laws of the state of Arizona, and I will not be persuaded to turn my back on my oath of office as sheriff of this county.”

In an August 2008 press release, Arpaio's office detailed those results.

"While the Sheriff’s illegal immigration and human smuggling operations conducted on the streets and roadways here have netted nearly 2,300 arrests, another very successful effort to locate illegal aliens has been quietly happening inside Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s jails," the release said.

It continues: "Despite the growing criticism of the Sheriff’s illegal immigration fight by some valley politicians and activists, Sheriff Arpaio says 60 detention officers trained by ICE officials have conducted over 106,000 interviews and investigations of inmates booked into jail since April of 2007.

"In those 18 months, 16,000 inmates were determined to be illegal aliens. Either they have already been deported or will be deported after being tried and/or serving their sentences for crimes committed in the valley. The work being done be Arpaio’s detention staff is a likely contributor to the recent reduction in crime in the valley,” the press release added.

"That number of 16,000 represents a full one-third (1/3) of all inmates in the United States who have had holds placed on them after being identified by jail or prison officials as illegal aliens."

The press release goes on to say that 20 percent of inmates in the Maricopa County Jail are illegal aliens and that of those, 2,000 illegal aliens - 70 percent - were arrested for felony crimes.

Those felony crimes committed included the following: forgery, 12 percent; kidnapping, 10 percent; aggravated assault, 7 percent; driving under the influence, 7 percent; drug charges, 27 percent; robbery, 3 percent; murder, 3 percent; and theft, 4 percent.

The Democratic Congress members have also asked Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to launch an investigation into the training provided by ICE.

hank scorpio wrote:Check out his propadanda page, I love how the "articles" are written AP style!

http://www.mcso.org/index.php?a=GetModu ... l_Announce

travelinman67 wrote:

hank scorpio wrote:Check out his propadanda page, I love how the "articles" are written AP style!

http://www.mcso.org/index.php?a=GetModu ... l_Announce

How is this any different than all the L.E. agencies thoughout the country who televise their activities, and particpate in televised interviews, through "Reality Television"?

Are they using "propoganda" to further their mission also?

dbackjon wrote:T-man - you really have no clue as to what you are talking about with concern to Joke Arapaio.

As someone who has lived in Maricopa County and followed this sorry excuse for a law enforcement person for twelve years, I can tell you that Arapaio has cost the taxpayers more money than he has "saved", has not done SQUAT with real crime, and is more concerned about publicity than real police work.

dbackjon wrote:T-man - you really have no clue as to what you are talking about with concern to Joke Arapaio.

As someone who has lived in Maricopa County and followed this sorry excuse for a law enforcement person for twelve years, I can tell you that Arapaio has cost the taxpayers more money than he has "saved", has not done SQUAT with real crime, and is more concerned about publicity than real police work.

travelinman67 wrote:

dbackjon wrote:T-man - you really have no clue as to what you are talking about with concern to Joke Arapaio.

As someone who has lived in Maricopa County and followed this sorry excuse for a law enforcement person for twelve years, I can tell you that Arapaio has cost the taxpayers more money than he has "saved", has not done SQUAT with real crime, and is more concerned about publicity than real police work.

Irrelevant. If the voters don't like him, they can vote him out or the Board of Supervisors can strangle him with budget cuts.

What IS relevant is four Congressmen's abuse of authority in using their positions in Congress to "deploy" the DOJ as their agent for the purpose of unlawful intent to harass, obstruct and interfere with Maricopa County Sheriff's Office appropriate enforcement of immigration laws in the manner they were instructed by Homeland Security.

Those four Congressmen's actions are a direct violation of their Oath of Office in addition to being a seditious activity for misuse and coercion of Executive Branch authority to commit a criminal offense.

I wrote the letter, and intend to follow up. They've crossed over the line.

hank scorpio wrote:

travelinman67 wrote:
Irrelevant. If the voters don't like him, they can vote him out or the Board of Supervisors can strangle him with budget cuts.

What IS relevant is four Congressmen's abuse of authority in using their positions in Congress to "deploy" the DOJ as their agent for the purpose of unlawful intent to harass, obstruct and interfere with Maricopa County Sheriff's Office appropriate enforcement of immigration laws in the manner they were instructed by Homeland Security.

Those four Congressmen's actions are a direct violation of their Oath of Office in addition to being a seditious activity for misuse and coercion of Executive Branch authority to commit a criminal offense.

I wrote the letter, and intend to follow up. They've crossed over the line.

And if the guy is actually breaking the law?

dbackjon wrote:Spare the dramatics, T-man. Arapaio has been skirting the law since he was elected. The GOP-dominated inquiries in the past were nothing more than window dressing.

He is violating civil rights, which is a valid area for Congress to investigate.


He spends his time rounding up landscapers, meanwhile, allowing the Mexican Drug Cartels to run rampant - with Maricopa County now the kidnapping capital of the nation.


Again, you don't know SQUAT about Joke Arapaio or the abusive MCSO.

dbackjon wrote:Spare the dramatics, T-man. Arapaio has been skirting the law since he was elected. The GOP-dominated inquiries in the past were nothing more than window dressing.

He is violating civil rights, which is a valid area for Congress to investigate.


He spends his time rounding up landscapers, meanwhile, allowing the Mexican Drug Cartels to run rampant - with Maricopa County now the kidnapping capital of the nation.


Again, you don't know SQUAT about Joke Arapaio or the abusive MCSO.

wideright82 wrote:

dbackjon wrote:Spare the dramatics, T-man. Arapaio has been skirting the law since he was elected. The GOP-dominated inquiries in the past were nothing more than window dressing.

He is violating civil rights, which is a valid area for Congress to investigate.


He spends his time rounding up landscapers, meanwhile, allowing the Mexican Drug Cartels to run rampant - with Maricopa County now the kidnapping capital of the nation.


Again, you don't know SQUAT about Joke Arapaio or the abusive MCSO.

Real fast, how can you violate the civil rights of an illegal alien? What American rights does a person illegally in America have? How can you define what rights they get and what rights they don't get? Are only civil rights promised? Or can we start demanding they get paid minimum wage, like other legal citizens are guaranteed. All questions, I am just trying to figure out what the discrepancy is with a guy who has gotten dangerous illegals off the street. Forget other bs, I mean this particular situation, in which he is being investigated for. He isn't being investigated for being a shitty sheriff.

dbackjon wrote:

wideright82 wrote:

Real fast, how can you violate the civil rights of an illegal alien? What American rights does a person illegally in America have? How can you define what rights they get and what rights they don't get? Are only civil rights promised? Or can we start demanding they get paid minimum wage, like other legal citizens are guaranteed. All questions, I am just trying to figure out what the discrepancy is with a guy who has gotten dangerous illegals off the street. Forget other bs, I mean this particular situation, in which he is being investigated for. He isn't being investigated for being a shitty sheriff.

It is not the illegals - it is the AMERICAN CITIZENS that he drags into his nets, just because they are brown-skinned.

wideright82 wrote:

dbackjon wrote:Spare the dramatics, T-man. Arapaio has been skirting the law since he was elected. The GOP-dominated inquiries in the past were nothing more than window dressing.

He is violating civil rights, which is a valid area for Congress to investigate.


He spends his time rounding up landscapers, meanwhile, allowing the Mexican Drug Cartels to run rampant - with Maricopa County now the kidnapping capital of the nation.


Again, you don't know SQUAT about Joke Arapaio or the abusive MCSO.

Real fast, how can you violate the civil rights of an illegal alien? What American rights does a person illegally in America have? How can you define what rights they get and what rights they don't get? Are only civil rights promised? Or can we start demanding they get paid minimum wage, like other legal citizens are guaranteed. All questions, I am just trying to figure out what the discrepancy is with a guy who has gotten dangerous illegals off the street. Forget other bs, I mean this particular situation, in which he is being investigated for. He isn't being investigated for being a shitty sheriff.

TwinTownBisonFan wrote:

wideright82 wrote:

Real fast, how can you violate the civil rights of an illegal alien? What American rights does a person illegally in America have? How can you define what rights they get and what rights they don't get? Are only civil rights promised? Or can we start demanding they get paid minimum wage, like other legal citizens are guaranteed. All questions, I am just trying to figure out what the discrepancy is with a guy who has gotten dangerous illegals off the street. Forget other bs, I mean this particular situation, in which he is being investigated for. He isn't being investigated for being a shitty sheriff.

even visitors, convicts, everyone... has civil rights in this country. as it should be. short and sweet, an investigation in to this guys techniques seems in order given the allegations.

Spoiler: show

What allegations?

This "action" was precipitated by a signature gathering/letter-writing campaign spawned from community activist groups, including known racketeers ACORN.

http://blog.sojo.net/2009/03/12/action- ... profiling/

Action Alert Victory: Department of Justice to Investigate Arizona Sheriff’s Racial Profiling

by Allison Johnson 03-12-2009

Action alerts make a difference. Our call for the Department of Justice to investigate Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has succeeded!

Yesterday, Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King sent a letter to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office announcing a Department of Justice investigation of alleged “discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures conducted by the MCSO,” among other alleged violations of federal law under the direction of Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The formal investigation follows a request by Congressman John Conyers (head of the House Judiciary Committee) for the DOJ to respond to the myriad of complaints of racial profiling in Maricopa County.

A racial profiling expert called this the “first civil-rights investigation stemming from immigration enforcement” undertaken by the Department of Justice.

This is exactly what we requested. Sojourners online activists submitted more than 9,000 letters to Attorney General Eric Holder, and alongside other groups like ACORN, National Day Labor Organizing Network, and America’s Voice, the total was well over 35,000. Together we cried, “enough,” and we won.

Thank you.

Now, TTBF...let's take a moment to examine what led "Sojourners" to call on it's readers to conduct a "letter writing campaign" calling for an investigation of Sheriff Arpaio's immigration enforcement.

I'll presume you haven't read any of the articles I've referenced, so I'll explain it in simple terms.

Sojourners, a "Christian based" human rights website, published two "investigative" articles that concluded, "During a recent immigrant-suppression sweep by Sheriff Joe Arpaio...the sheriff is terrorizing Latino communities with raids like these, and using police-state tactics to stifle criticism..."

http://blog.sojo.net/2009/01/15/suffer- ... -children/

But let's look at the video both the NY Times and Sojourners is citing as Sheriff Arpaio's heavy handed, civil rights violating "sweeps" that are "terrorizing Latino communities"...

[youtube][/youtube]

You see that?

Stopped driving after dark with no lights. That's called probable cause, not profiling.

Arrested when police determined she had warrants and was in the U.S. illegally. (hint...key word.."illegal"... ).

No sweeps. No terrorizing. No violations.

What did the deputies do that was a violation of her civil rights?


Sorry, but I'm just a little too tired to wait for another rationalization.

...and now let's move on to Sojourner's article number two, chronicling a brother and sister who in effect antagonized some patrol officers who were nearby in the midst of a traffic stop, and the officers over reaction to their provocation...

http://blog.sojo.net/2009/02/18/stop-sh ... profiling/

and since the Sojourner's article doesn't go into detail...here's the original New Times blog article, detailing per the "offended" party, which prompted the Sojourner's outrage...

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valley ... racial.php

...now let's just take a moment to recap this last article...

1) One of the two complainants, Meraz, lied to the reporter writing this article, a sympathetic voice, when she denied making the "prisontalk" statement.
2) Both have served jail time, of which the brother, Neito Jr. was just released from prison in February, the month before this incident occurred.

Court records show that while employed as a Catholic Social Services immigration case worker in Phoenix, Meraz talked a few clients into giving her blank money orders on the pretense that she'd help them get green cards. Instead, she put her own name on the money orders and deposited them into her bank account. Catholic Social Services told the probation department Meraz had victimized at least nine immigrants, soaking them for a total of about $8,000.
Meraz won't discuss the incident, and Nieto Jr. says he's not ashamed of his prison record.

Nieto Jr. and Meraz say on March 28, they took a break from working at their father's business, Manny's Auto Repair, to grab some Gatorade and cigarettes at the convenience store pictured here on Cave Creek Road.

As they pulled into a parking space in front of the store, Meraz was singing along to a Spanish-language tune on their van's radio. They noticed a single deputy apparently busting two Hispanic men near the gas pumps. The deputy began yelling at them and accused them of disturbing the peace, they say. Meraz says she asked the deputy for his badge number, and he gave it. The lawsuit identifies him as Deputy Albert Armendariz.

The deputy kept screaming at them to leave, they say, so they drove back to the repair shop while Nieto Jr. called 911 on his cell phone to report the harassment. Just as they pulled in, numerous Sheriff's Office vehicles blocked them in the shop's driveway. Several deputies pointed firearms at them, and one deputy dragged Nieto Jr. from the van while he was still on the phone and handcuffed him.
Manuel Nieto Sr. heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on. Two deputies screamed at him to go back inside.

"I said, 'No! This is my place. I'm a U.S. citizen, and those are my children, and they're citizens,'" Nieto Sr. says.

The family members say the deputies seemed surprised by the assertion. The deputies cleared out within minutes.

Based upon the preceding description provided by the two (now) "offenders", there's a couple of pieces of info NOT FULLY EXPANDED ON...including.
A) the alleged "profiling" deputy had a hispanic surname...obviously indicae of the potential for anti-hispanic bigotry...
B) both had prior records, and as such, putting two and two together...the only way for the Deputies who intercepted them at the shop to have known where they were going or the description of the vehicle was if the original hispanic surnamed Deputy had called in their vehicle description (and as routine, always) their license number (this fact has been confirmed in reviews of the 911 call and radio transmissions).
Having done so, dispatch routinely runs all plates for wants/warrants, and cross checks registered owners for wants/warrants/flags (oh YES THEY DO!). It would have been SOP for a parolee to be flagged, or a felony probationer, hence, MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, dispatch advised area units that the vehicle called in by Deputy #1 in his "disturbance" contact was being driven by a probationer or parolee.
Now...for folks unfamiliar with probationers or parolees...there's a few simple rules: First, you can't break the law while on probation/parole, or probation/parole will be revoked. Second, you subject your person, vehicle and residence to voluntary search upon request of any Peace Officer in the course of their duty. 24/7...no search warrant needed. Detention is a component of a search, hence, once the identity of the subject is confirmed, a search can be conducted and the subject detained (including being handcuffed) for the duration of that search...

LAWFULLY!

As agreed to by the probationer/parolee (again, negating any Civil Rights violations).

About the only thing I can find "wrong" with this incident is the initial contact by Deputy #1 for disturbing the peace. As a rule, L.E. cannot be the victim of a noise disturbance, absence a law or ordinance restricting the distance/decibel a sound can be projected from a person, vehicle or residence. In CA, vehicles cannot project non-motor vehicle noise (exhaust, etc...) a distance greater than 50' from the closest point on the vehicle. To do so is probable cause. So...not being familiar with the AZ motor vehicle code, it's possible the Deputy's statement of "disturbing the peace" was incorrect. Note, however, that the remaining contact would not have been in error as a Peace Officer does not need to have probable cause to contact, FI, search and detain a probationer or parolee.

Whew...

Now, TTBF, where am I heading with this, you ask?

Based upon these two articles by Sojourners, they mobilized their readers to write 9,000 letters to AG Eric Holder falsely accusing Sheriff Arpaio of "immigration sweeps" and civil rights violations, which are wholely unsubstantiated by the two incidents cited by Sojourners.

Additionally, petitions were submitted by ACORN (do I really have to say anything...?), "America's Voice" (Frank Sharry's "Amnesty and Open Borders for All" immigration-reform-gone-awry website), and finally the "National Day Laborers Federation" an amalgamation of regional community activist groups who goal is to "organize" "Day Laborers" (i.e., the Home Depot Driveway Warmers).

And the party initiating the investigation on behalf of DOJ, Assistant Attorney General Lorretta King...

...an attorney, ahem...

is fully aware that the call for petitions was politically motivated, and further, the Congressmen's request to initiate an investigation was politically motivated, which in itself, and not substantiated by any supporting documentation (...like Sojourner's...) which makes her complicit in the misconduct.

So, basically, what has occurred is that these illegal immigrant advocacy groups took a page from Al Gore's "Politics By Shoutdown" book...

...and what couldn't be accomplished LEGALLY through the legislative process...

...what couldn't be acccomplished LAWFULLY through the courts and the ACLU's inventive interpretation of the Civil Rights laws...

...is now being accomplished by fabricating complaints, using taxpayer-funded community organizations with a history of unlawful activities to gather special interest petitions to flood Congress so as to "justify" having elected officials violate their Oath of Office by coercing the Department of Justice to initiate and unwarranted investigation into a regional agency WHICH WAS JUST INVESTIGATED LAST YEAR BY THE FBI AND IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT, BOTH OF WHOM FINDING THE AGENCY TO BE IN COMPLIANCE.

I think that succinctly sums up the scam, eh, TTBF?

What's sad, is that people party to this scam are either:
1) Crooked liars looking to circumvent the law or gain wealth.
2) Too dumb to understand law, ethics and due process.
3) Corrupt politicians seeking to broaden their own powerbase.

travelinman67 wrote:Two votes of confidence from a couple of practicing socialists.

I guess I must have hit a raw nerve.

AZGrizFan wrote:

travelinman67 wrote:Two votes of confidence from a couple of practicing socialists.

I guess I must have hit a raw nerve.

Allow ME to be the voice of reason here, T-Man.

Joe Arpaio is a fcuking WACKJOB. His schtick got old about 15 years ago, but he must have pictures of all the important people in town with small farm animals because somehow he keeps getting reelected. He's a damned buffoon, and is crooked as the day is long. He should have been gone LONG ago, but each election manages to be going up against somebody who's got ONE skeleton in their closet and his henchmen FIND that skeleton and air it for all of AZ to see...

It/HE is an embarrassment to the State of Arizona. Plain and simple.