Sheriff Joe (Phoenix, Tempe, Surprise: budget, job, health)

[Arizona Annie]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

Sheriff Joe is taking this to a new low...What a waste of resources going after these guys....not for the people of Maricopa County but for himself...

Az Republic
Quote:

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has cited Phoenix New Times reporter Ray Stern for disorderly conduct.

His crime: Taking pictures of records that the county wanted to charge him 50 cents a page to copy.

Quote:

But the timing of Stern's citation is hard to ignore. It came the same night that sheriff's deputies arrested two other New Times employees for publishing information from a grand jury subpoena that, among other things, demanded the Internet activities of anyone who looked at the newspaper's Web site in three years.

The next day, on Friday, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas decried the arrests and the subpoena as an assault on the First Amendment. Much chagrined, Thomas dismissed the case and fired the special prosecutor he had appointed to investigate whether New Times violated the law by publishing Sheriff Joe Arpaio's address three years ago.

That leaves only Stern and his camera facing accusations of criminal conduct. It appears that when a law clerk asked him to stop taking pictures of the documents, Stern had the temerity to ask, “Why?”

I'm surprised he was even able to take a camera in. Is the paper so strapped for money they couldn't pay 50 cents a copy? So, he wasn't denied access to the papers he wanted to copy, nor was he denied the right to have copies, he just decided he wanted to be cheap and not pay. I'd say disorderly conduct is right on.

Side note: I'm sure the County Attorney is sorry he dropped the charges because of the special prosecuters actions now, since his personal information was published by other media the very next day.

[ibarrio]

More Joe...Az Republic

Goddard blasts Thomas, Arpaio

A high-stakes political fight involving three of the state's top law-enforcement officials reached a boil Wednesday, with Attorney General Terry Goddard calling an investigation of his office a "political witch hunt" and Sheriff Joe Arpaio accusing Goddard of attempting to intimidate investigators.

Goddard said that the political overtones in the investigation of his office are even more stark than they were in the New Times case and that the probe is plagued by the same problems, including overbroad subpoenas and retaliatory motives.

The brouhaha stems from Goddard's investigation last year of former state Treasurer David Petersen, who resigned from office as part of a guilty plea for failing to disclose income from a character-education non-profit.

Initially, Goddard, a Democrat, was investigating far more substantive allegations made against Petersen, a Republican, including fraud and mismanagement of office. But the attorney general said he was not able to prove those allegations.

In July 2006, as Goddard's investigation was ongoing, Petersen's office transferred $1.9 million to Goddard's office, a reimbursement from a settlement in a fraud case the Attorney General's Office handled.

In April, Arpaio held a news conference announcing that he and Thomas were investigating that payment as a bribe, alleging that Goddard went soft on Petersen because of the money.

Goddard pointed to a state law that requires agencies to reimburse his office.

He said it happened automatically, with no discussion and with no connection whatsoever to the Petersen investigation.

Since then, a bitter battle has unfolded, with Arpaio and Thomas, both Republicans, accusing Goddard of thwarting their investigation.

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

More Joe...Az Republic

Goddard blasts Thomas, Arpaio

Shows Goddard is worried -

Actually, IMO, Goddard has a lot to be worried about

[ibarrio]

Good article the examines his triumphs and failures as sheriff



Triumphs, troubles in 15 years as sheriff

[MovinFromUT]

Originally Posted by irwin

Sheriff Joe is an embarrassment. It's all a bunch of hype so he can get interviewed by Fox News. And while he's hamming it up for the tv, the crime rate here in Phoenix is exploding. Obviously the pink underwear and chain gangs aren't working too well; but he's not concerned with that.

I'm curious then Irwin, how would YOU handle the immigration problem here in AZ? Would you allow inmates to have Playboy, both the magazine and the channel? Do you feel the inmates should live better than you and I? With an 85% popularity, I think he's doing something right. I would much rather have someone with some B***S running the Sheriff's department, than some political yes man cowering down to everyone else's wims and needs.!

[LadmoFan]

I know little about the sheriff, except what sound bites from TV land, but one of my favorites was putting the inmates in tents. His reasoning was our soldiers in Iraq were living in even warmer conditions, while serving their country honorably, so why not allow the inmates to live in similar conditions. In fact, it was cooler in Arizona than in Iraq.

Sheriff Joe is right, if you do the crime you do the time, my take on it. I've never heard or read any statement from him as such; but is seems to be his take on criminal justice.

Go get'em Joe!

LadmoFan

[LadmoFan]

I have never worked for a large newspaper, only a small one, but sometimes it's easier to photograph the court papers rather than pay for them. Where I worked, they eventually arranged to pay a monthly fee so to have copies made. No more standing at the counter to pay up. Reporter's time is limited with deadlines to meet...

LadmoFan

Originally Posted by Arizona Annie

I'm surprised he was even able to take a camera in. Is the paper so strapped for money they couldn't pay 50 cents a copy? So, he wasn't denied access to the papers he wanted to copy, nor was he denied the right to have copies, he just decided he wanted to be cheap and not pay. I'd say disorderly conduct is right on.

Side note: I'm sure the County Attorney is sorry he dropped the charges because of the special prosecuters actions now, since his personal information was published by other media the very next day.

[sindey]

Originally Posted by LadmoFan

I know little about the sheriff, except what sound bites from TV land, but one of my favorites was putting the inmates in tents. His reasoning was our soldiers in Iraq were living in even warmer conditions, while serving their country honorably, so why not allow the inmates to live in similar conditions. In fact, it was cooler in Arizona than in Iraq.

Sheriff Joe is right, if you do the crime you do the time, my take on it. I've never heard or read any statement from him as such; but is seems to be his take on criminal justice.

Go get'em Joe!

LadmoFan

Most of the inmates are awaiting trial and NOT yet sentenced.
The sheriffs return inmate rate is NO different than any other large city,meaning his cruel tactics do not work.
Yes most people love him, they ignore the deaths, the lawsuit payouts and the fact that most who work for him can't stand him. The people believe what they read in the papers and see on tv.
If it happens to them, they will change there minds.

[Artliquide]

Originally Posted by LadmoFan

I have never worked for a large newspaper, only a small one, but sometimes it's easier to photograph the court papers rather than pay for them. Where I worked, they eventually arranged to pay a monthly fee so to have copies made. No more standing at the counter to pay up. Reporter's time is limited with deadlines to meet...

LadmoFan

It seems odd that they were told not to photograph public records which they could photocopy for a fee?!?

[cxray]

Originally Posted by frankie58

Love him or hate him, at least Joe Arpaio is doing his job, which is more than I can say for most of the politicos in AZ.

I'm a liberal Democrat and I applaud Joe Arpaio. Yes, he is a total redneck and a bully but at least he does his job. I too had a friend that went to tent city for a DUI and he was scared $#%#$ after he got out. When I was in college, I knew people who got DUI's and it wasn't a big deal. They usually just paid a fine and got a slap on their wrist. They never served jail time. They were never scared or deterred from driving while under the influence. Maybe if they spent some time in tent city, they would have thought otherwise.

This is the reason people of all political groups love Sherrif Joe. It's because he actually acts and that is a refreshing change when most sherrifs are all talk.