Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, along with his top deputy, Jerry Sheridan, appeared in court before U.S. District Judge Murray Snow, who was not too pleased with a video of the sheriff training his deputies.
“I intend to have my order followed,” Reuters reported the judge said in court. Snow had issued the order for the sheriff’s office to stop racial profiling. He also required video tapes of all training sessions and traffic stops. The New York times reported the video showed Sheridan telling the deputies the court order was “ludicrous this crap”. Arpaio followed up the statements on the video adding, “What the chief deputy said is what I’ve been saying. We don’t racially profile, I don’t care what everybody says.”
In court, Sheridan explained the comment came from a frustration of media coverage surrounding the case. However, Sheridan was quick to recant his statements on the video. “I heard every word you said loud and clear,” he said to the judge, according to the Associated Press.
“Whether or not the sheriff likes it, there is a distinction in immigration law that was not understood by the population and, with all due respect to you, it is not understood by the sheriff, which is that it is not a criminal violation to be in this country without authorization,” the New York Times reported Snow told the court.
The director of the American Civil Liberties Union Immigrants’ Rights Project, Cecillia Wang, told Reuters, “The proof will be in the pudding as to whether Sheridan, the sheriff and the rest of the MCSO are actually serious about the court order. The judge has given them a chance to do just that – and one chance only.”
Any anger against court order has not shown its face on the sheriff’s Twitter account. Instead, one can find pictures of a community meeting:
My office had a productive Hispanic community mtg @ 79th Ave and W Indian School Rd 2day. Thanks to all who came out! pic.twitter.com/R1IvsLq35I
— Joe Arpaio (@RealSheriffJoe) March 16, 2014
And playful sparing with George Lopez:
@georgelopez @SaintGeorgeFX I'll watch you if you watch my worldwide coverage. BTW, I cancelled HBO because they run your old show too much.
— Joe Arpaio (@RealSheriffJoe) March 13, 2014
Image via Univision Noticias, YouTube
