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News just broke that the U.S. Department of Justice is suing Maricopa County, AZ Sheriff Joe Arpaio to compel him to turn over documents needed for the federal government’s civil rights investigation.
Arpaio has denied investigators access to this information for a full year and a half.
In light of the news, here’s a little background reading on Sheriff Joe.
Arpaio’s Record: Higher Crime, Wasted Money, Squandered Trust
America’s Voice Education Fund’s latest report on Sheriff Joe’s record reveals that his high-profile tactics have actually led to higher crime rates, nearly 3,000 lawsuits, millions of wasted taxpayer dollars, and a degradation of the community policing strategies that law enforcement agencies have developed to keep us safe.
What’s more, violent crime is down across the state of Arizona — except in Sheriff Arpaio’s Maricopa County. From 2002 to 2009, while the violent crime rate across the state as a whole plummeted by 12 percent, Arpaio’s jurisdiction suffered a 58 percent surge in violent crime. The numbers speak for themselves: