![\"Arpaio\"](\"http:\/\/newstaco.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/joe-arpaio-racist-emails-racial-profiling.png\")
It’s about damn time, and it should not have taken this long. As a matter of fact, they aren’t even talking about removing Joe Arpaio yet, but we can only hope it’s a matter of time before that happens.<\/p>\nIt’s about damn time, and it should not have taken this long. As a matter of fact, they aren’t even talking about removing Joe Arpaio yet, but we can only hope it’s a matter of time before that happens.<\/p>\n
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The U.S. Justice Department says Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has become a national figure thanks to his tough treatment of inmates and his tough talk on immigration, engages in “a pattern or practice of misconduct that violates the Constitution and federal law,” NPR’s Carrie Johnson reports.<\/p>\n
In a report issued this hour<\/a> (posted below), “federal authorities cite a ‘wall of distrust’ between Arpaio and members of the Latino community,” Carrie says. And Justice “says it found Latino motorists are four to nine times more likely to be stopped by sheriff’s deputies than non-Latinos, often without any legal cause.” There is also reason to be concerned about the “use of excessive force” by Arpaio’s department, Justice says.<\/p>\n The federal agency “also says Arpaio retaliates against people who complain about his policies, including local government officials, and that his focus on Latino residents in Arizona may have distracted Arpaio from paying attention to other law enforcement problems, including rape and sexual assault in the community,” Carrie tells us.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Arpaio has been under fire from some state lawmakers for allegedly botching a series of sex-crime cases, as Eyder reported last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to Carrie, Justice Department civil rights chief Tom Perez says he wants to negotiate with the sheriff, but he won’t hesitate to sue if necessary.<\/p>\n