Critics and supporters of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio gathered outside a council meeting on Thursday in the small town of Guadalupe, where the sheriff told leaders about his agency’s plans for law enforcement there. Photos by Evan Wyloge
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio appeared before the Guadalupe Town Council on Thursday to discuss his agency’s recently renewed law-enforcement contract with the tiny town, a move that came nearly a year after a loud backlash arose there against his immigration sweeps.
Arpaio’s emergence in the largely Yaqui Indian- and Hispanic-populated town also took place amid a recently launched investigation by the U.S. Justice Department into allegations of civil rights abuses like those raised by many of the town’s residents last year.
Councilwoman Rebecca Jimenez, the town’s mayor when the allegations first came up, asked Arpaio on Thursday whether he planned to change his tactics in light of the federal investigation.
“I cannot leave this town to the mercy of the criminals,” Arpaio said. “No matter what it takes, we will protect this town from the criminal element.”
He said he welcomed the federal investigation has no intention to change his methods, adding that he believes the investigation is politically motivated.
When the claims of racial profiling first came up in Guadalupe, Jimenez gave voice to the sheriff’s critics and helped ignite a sharp and public dispute between then the town and Arpaio. In the months following, Jimenez and other critics pushed against renewing the town’s contract for police services with the sheriff’s office.
Jimenez lost the fight, however, and the town’s new mayor, Francisco Montiel, reached out to the sheriff to renew the contract and give him room to police Guadalupe the way he sees fit.
At the council meeting, the sheriff told the town’s elected leaders that his agency has a multi-pronged plan for law enforcement there.
“We must do everything we can to protect the people of Guadalupe,” Arpaio said. “That’s the main issue: protect the people.”
The mayor and other council members expressed a concern for the youth of Guadalupe, saying they hoped to see a renewed effort by the sheriff’s office to help reach out to the community with crime prevention measures.
Arpaio said he plans to assemble a gang task force, which will include a youth outreach component, but also defended his crime sweeps as an effective tactic for battling crime.
Outside the meeting, Arpaio’s visit drew about a hundred demonstrators divided into two opposing groups. They lined Avenida Del Yaqui, holding signs and loudly proclaiming their disapproval or acclaim for the Sheriff.
Nearly a hundred sheriff’s deputies and posse members preceded Arpaio to set up barricades and stand guard to watch over the demonstrations.
Editor’s note: Heat City is excited to have a new contributor to the website. Please welcome Evan Wyloge, who did some great reporting and took fantastic photos of last night’s events in Guadalupe. He can be reached at evan.wyloge@gmail.com. We’re looking for other journalists who can turn a good story, too. If you’re interested in contributing to Heat City, email Nick Martin and please include a little bit about yourself and your background.