SHERIFF_ FM_pI-X:sheriff 2/27/08 3:28 PM Page i JOE’S LAW SHERIFF_ FM_pI-X:sheriff 2/27/08 3:28 PM Page ii This page intentionally left blank SHERIFF_ FM_pI-X:sheriff 2/27/08 3:28 PM Page iii JOE’S LAW America’s Toughest Sheriff Takes on Illegal Immigration, Drugs, and Everything Else That Threatens America SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO AND LEN SHERMAN AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION NEW YORK ATLANTA BRUSSELS CHICAGO MEXICO CITY SAN FRANCISCO SHANGHAI TOKYO TORONTO WASHINGTON, D.C. SHERIFF_ FM_pI-X:sheriff 2/27/08 3:28 PM Page iv SpecialdiscountsonbulkquantitiesofAMACOMbooksareavailabletocor- porations,professionalassociations,andotherorganizations.Fordetails,con- tactSpecialSalesDepartment,AMACOM,adivisionofAmericanManagement Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Tel: 212-903-8316. Fax: 212-903-8083. E-mail:[email protected] Website:www.amacombooks.org/go/specialsales ToviewallAMACOMtitlesgoto:www.amacombooks.org Thispublicationisdesignedtoprovideaccurateandauthoritativeinformationin regardtothesubjectmattercovered.Itissoldwiththeunderstandingthatthepub- lisherisnotengagedinrenderinglegal,accounting,orotherprofessionalservice. Iflegaladviceorotherexpertassistanceisrequired,theservicesofacompetentpro- fessionalpersonshouldbesought. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Arpaio,Joe,1932- Joe’s law : America’s toughest sheriff takes on illegal immigration, drugs, and everythingelsethatthreatensAmerica/JoeArpaioandLenSherman. p.cm. Includesindex. ISBN-13:978-0-8144-0199-6 ISBN-10:0-8144-0199-6 1. Arpaio, Joe, 1932– 2. Sheriffs—Arizona—Maricopa County—Biography. 3. Police—United States—Biography. 4.Drug enforcement agents—United States— Biography. 5. Corrections—Arizona—Maricopa County. 6.Prisons—Arizona— Maricopa County. 7. Law enforcement—Arizona—Maricopa County. 8. Illegal aliens—UnitedStates.9.Drugabuse—UnitedStates.I.Sherman,Len,1956–II.Title. HV7911.A77A32008 363.2092—dc22 [B] 2008007007 ©2008JoeArpaioandLenSherman. Allrightsreserved. PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica. Thispublicationmaynotbereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmit- tedinwholeorinpart,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,pho- tocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM,adivisionofAmericanManagementAssociation,1601Broadway,New York,NY 10019. Printingnumber 10987654321 SHERIFF_ FM_pI-X_rev:sheriff 3/20/08 11:12 AM Page v CONTENTS Introduction VII 1 TheBottomLine 1 2 IllegalImmigration 23 3 MoreWaystoTakeOnImmigration, fromthePossetoICE 41 4 FromImmigrationtoDrugs 69 5 ThinkingOutsidetheBox 87 6 ThePosse 111 7 ALifetimeinLawEnforcement 131 SHERIFF_ FM_pI-X:sheriff 2/27/08 3:28 PM Page vi 8 Turkey 151 9 BackHome 171 10 MediaMatters 203 11 PoliticsasUsual 227 epilogue TheMoreThingsStaytheSame, theMoreTheyBetterChange 239 Index 257 SHERIFF_ FM_pI-X:sheriff 2/27/08 3:28 PM Page vii INTRODUCTION We quickly tire of our heroes, probably because they’re not really heroesatall.Theyappear,theyglitter,theyareeverywhere,andthen we learn the truth that they are nothing but false fronts, Potemkin villages, hollow beings constructed for media absorption and public consumption out of slogans and hype and pictures, saying the cor- rectthings,supportingtheacceptedideas,doingnothingintheend that benefits anyone but themselves and their backers. Politicians, corporate heads, actors, athletes, celebrities of every miscreant vari- ety—they’re all part of the same media world we inhabit—and they’vealldisappointedussomanytimesthatpollafterpolldemon- strates that we no longer trust any of our leading institutions. And so to Joe Arpaio. For more than twelve years, I’ve seen them come and go. I’ve watched the reporters find their way to Phoenix for the big inter- view, for their moment in the sun, and as we all know, the sun here cangetprettyhot.Theysweatthroughtheirtourofthetents,they go out on patrol with the posse, they stare at the pink underwear, the chain gangs, the public adulation. And they act like Columbus discovering America, like they’ve found something their audience will not believe, and they go home and do their story, which is the same story, over and over, declaring, and sometimes decrying, the wonderofSheriffJoe,asheisknownfarandwide,andtheMaricopa County Sheriff’s Office. SHERIFF_ FM_pI-X:sheriff 2/27/08 3:28 PM Page viii viii INTRODUCTION But of course they don’t stay long enough to really understand what’sgoingon,butthat’sthenatureofthemodernmedia—hitand run. They don’t stay long enough to understand that the Sheriff is therealthing,thatheactuallymeanswhathesaysandthenactson those heartfelt beliefs and ideas, and that’s why he has commanded suchoverwhelmingsupportfromsomanypeopleforsomanyyears. Apparently,itiseasytodismisstheSheriffasamediaphenome- non, as a sideshow with some clever ideas to distract an easily dis- tractible public. But if that is so, name another elected official, and especiallyadynamic,controversialone,whohaswonfourelections in a row, quickly heading into his fifth, with an uninterrupted approvalratingalwaysintheneighborhoodof80percent—80per- cent!—from the people. Can you imagine how hard it must be to maintain that level of support? Even more, can you imagine how hard it must be to maintain that level of support and never lose sight of your values and goals? Thatkindofunprecedentedsuccessdoesnothappenbychance. Norcanitbesustainedmerelybypresseventsandrousingspeeches. Itcanonlybeearnedbydoingwhatishardandrightandgood,and doing all of it openly and honestly. Even if you agreed with every action that Sheriff Joe has taken (and, obviously, most voters in Maricopa County have agreed with most of his decisions), even that probably wouldn’t be sufficient to maintain your interest, not on our sensation-saturated planet, not for more than fifteen years. Sheriff Joe not only survives but tri- umphsbecausehehassomehowreachedacrossthedivideandcon- nects with the people of his county and, indeed, the people of Arizona and across the United States, and even beyond, in some inexplicable, profoundly personal way. PerhapsSheriffArpaiohasforgedthislinkbecauseheissocon- spicuouslyEveryman,withdistinctlyAmericanmanners,beliefs,and ideas, though with overtly more courage and purpose and dedica- SHERIFF_ FM_pI-X:sheriff 2/27/08 3:28 PM Page ix INTRODUCTION ix tion than most of his compatriots. He is one of us, accessible and comprehensible, in more vivid colors, his life overlaid with drama, consequence, and daring. Thatisoftenthepointofart,oratleastentertainment,present- ingaportraitofanindividual,fundamentallynodifferentfromany- one in the audience in appearance, ability, and personality, an ordinary person who rises when the occasion demands it and per- forms heroically. Cops are frequently employed as the character in these scenarios, because cops are viewed as basically ordinary guys (in movies, though less in books, male cops are the chosen gender) facing extraordinary circumstances. Consider Bruce Willis in Die Hard, Al Pacino in Serpico, Steve McQueen in Bullitt, Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon (Mel Gibson’s the crazy one), or, to shift to TV, anybody from Law and Order or NYPD Blue or Homicide: Life on the Streets or The Wire or any one of a thousand other shows. Sheriff Joe is a larger-than-life character wrapped in flesh and blood.You’llappreciatethatevenmoreafteryoureadhisbookand cometoknowmoreabouthiscareer,hislife,andhisprinciples.You don’t have to agree with everything he does to be drawn in and appreciate his appeal as an elected official and as a man. I’m a true- blueDemocratanddisagreewiththeSheriffonanumberofissues, largeandsmall,domesticandforeign.Regardless,noneofthatmat- ters to me in this instance, because I’ve learned, as we all should have,thathonorandhonestyandintellectandconvictioncountfor more than any policy or plan, whether we’re talking about how a school board decides to educate our children or how the President choosestoprotecttheenvironment,promoteenergyindependence, provide health care, and conduct war. From citizen to government, ourdisinterestinadequatelyfundingpublicschoolshasleftArizona ranked at the bottom in national education ratings, and the Bush administration’s dishonest and dishonorable behavior has had ruinous consequences at home and abroad.