
Joe Arpaio, the self-dubbed 'America's toughest sheriff', has been accused of breaking the law on several occasions. From horrendous jail conditions to sweeps for illegal immigrants that also nabbed American citizens and legal residents, Arpaio has been the subject of numerous allegations and damning testimonies from current and former employees. In 2009, Arpaio was involved in a feud with county officials over budgets and lawsuits, and had three of the five Maricopa County supervisors under investigation by his MACE team. Arpaio has also been accused of violating an order on racial profiling, with law enforcement agents under his jurisdiction continuing to conduct sweeps about 18 months after the order to halt was issued.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Violating an order on racial profiling | Racial profiling of illegal immigrants |
| Illegal activity | Sweeps for illegal immigrants that also nabbed American citizens and legal residents |
| Financial-disclosure violation charges | Alleged financial-disclosure violation charges that were ultimately dismissed |
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What You'll Learn

Racial profiling
Joe Arpaio, the self-dubbed "America's toughest sheriff", has been accused of breaking the law on several occasions. In 2009, Arpaio was involved in a feud with county officials over budgets and lawsuits, which led to him investigating three of the five Maricopa County supervisors.
Arpaio has also been accused of racial profiling and targeting illegal immigrants. In 2011, a judge ordered the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to stop racial profiling, but law enforcement agents under his jurisdiction continued to conduct sweeps for around 18 months after the order was issued. Arpaio was found in civil contempt of court and issued an apology to the judge.
In addition, Arpaio has been criticised for the horrendous jail conditions he imposes on thousands of inmates. There have also been allegations that his sweeps for illegal immigrants have resulted in the detention of American citizens and legal residents. A 1,022-page summary report and hundreds of pages of supplemental documents detail evidence of Arpaio's involvement in illegal activity.
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Illegal immigrant sweeps
Joe Arpaio, the self-dubbed 'America's toughest sheriff', was found to have broken the law by violating an order on racial profiling. In 2011, a judge ordered the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to stop racial profiling and targeting illegal immigrants. However, law enforcement agents under Arpaio's jurisdiction continued to conduct sweeps for around 18 months after the order was issued. These sweeps, aimed at targeting illegal immigrants, also ended up detaining American citizens and legal residents. Arpaio was held in civil contempt for his actions, which were in direct violation of the court order.
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Horrendous jail conditions
Joe Arpaio, the self-dubbed 'America's toughest sheriff', has been accused of breaking the law on several occasions. One of the most notable instances was when he violated an order on racial profiling, issued by Judge Murray Snow in 2011. Despite the order, law enforcement agents under Arpaio's jurisdiction continued to target illegal immigrants and conduct sweeps for around 18 months after the order to halt was given.
Arpaio has also been criticised for the horrendous jail conditions he imposed on thousands of inmates. While specific details of these conditions are not readily available, it is clear that they have caused significant distress, with some inmates choosing to break their silence and speak out against the sheriff.
In addition, Arpaio has been involved in a number of other scandals and controversies. In 2009, he had three of the five Maricopa County supervisors under investigation by his MACE team, including Stapley, who was ultimately cleared of alleged financial-disclosure violation charges. Arpaio has also been accused of conducting illegal sweeps for illegal immigrants, which have resulted in the detention of American citizens and legal residents.
While the full extent of Arpaio's illegal activities is not publicly known, a 1,022-page summary report and hundreds of pages of supplemental documents detail evidence of his involvement in unlawful behaviour.
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Budget and lawsuit feuds
In 2009, Joe Arpaio was involved in a serious feud with county officials over budgets and lawsuits. Arpaio had three of the five Maricopa County supervisors under investigation by his MACE team. One of these supervisors, Stapley, was investigated for alleged financial-disclosure violation charges, which were ultimately dropped.
Arpaio was also accused of violating an order on racial profiling. In 2011, a judge ordered the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to quit racial profiling and end the targeting of illegal immigrants. However, law enforcement agents under his jurisdiction continued to conduct sweeps about 18 months after the order to halt was issued.
Arpaio has also been criticised for the horrendous jail conditions he imposes on thousands of inmates and his sweeps for illegal immigrants that have also nabbed American citizens and legal residents. A 1,022-page summary report and hundreds of pages of supplemental documents detail evidence that Arpaio was involved in illegal activity.
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Internal investigation scandal
In 2009, Joe Arpaio was involved in a war with county officials over budgets and lawsuits. He had three of the five Maricopa County supervisors under investigation by his MACE team. Although the probe was an internal investigation requested by Arpaio, a 1,022-page summary report and hundreds of pages of supplemental documents detail plenty of evidence that Arpaio was involved in illegal activity.
Arpaio, the self-dubbed "America's toughest sheriff", was also in trouble for civil contempt stemming from 2011, when a judge ordered the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to quit racial profiling and end the targeting of illegal immigrants. Law enforcement agents under his jurisdiction continued to conduct sweeps about 18 months after the order to halt was issued.
The worst allegations and the most damning testimony against Arpaio and his top commanders have come from current or former employees, who have spoken to the press, FBI agents, and a federal grand jury. They have also revealed the horrendous jail conditions that the sheriff imposes on thousands of inmates.
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Frequently asked questions
Arpaio was found to have broken the law by violating an order on racial profiling. He was also accused of imposing horrendous jail conditions on thousands of inmates and conducting sweeps for illegal immigrants that also nabbed American citizens and legal residents.
Arpaio was charged with civil contempt and issued a mea culpa to a judge in federal court.
There was a 1,022-page summary report and hundreds of pages of supplemental documents detailing evidence that Arpaio was involved in illegal activity. There was also testimony from current and former employees.













