Heat City

A small group gathers outside Maricopa County’s main courthouse for a vigil to support jailed detention officer Adam Stoddard. Photo by Nick R. Martin

As detention officer Adam Stoddard approached his third full day in jail on Thursday night, a small but dedicated group of supporters gathered in front of Maricopa County’s main courthouse to hold the first of what they hope becomes a nightly vigil until he is freed.

About 20 of his supporters – most were Stoddard’s coworkers in the sheriff’s office and a few were citizens who heard about him on the news – stood in the chilly December air with candles and talked about why they were there.

“We’re a big law enforcement family,” said Luis Altamirano, vice president of the county’s detention officers union. “Our association won’t stand down, and we plan to be here every day.”

Altamirano said Stoddard is not even a member of Maricopa County Association of Detention Officers, but it didn’t matter.

“We show support regardless,” he said. “Member or not, he wears a uniform.”

Several of Stoddard’s supporters said they believed his punishment did not fit his offense. Stoddard was jailed on Tuesday after refusing to follow a judge’s order to publicly apologize for taking confidential documents from a defense attorney while her back was turned.

Stoddard has said he thought a few words on the document would show a crime was about to be committed by the attorney’s client, but the judge later rejected that defense.

“I don’t know anything about that (incident),” said Lt. Lisa Lamoureux, a sheriff’s detention officer. “I just know he’s in jail until he apologizes. That’s kindergarten stuff.”

Stoddard’s case has made national headlines since the video of the incident first appeared on YouTube. His actions, including this week’s defiance of court authority, have outraged many in the legal community nationwide.

But with backing from his boss, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Stoddard has also become something of a folk hero to a small number of people.

“We admire Adam for sticking to his guns,” said Kathryn Kobor. “Not a lot of young people do that these days.”

Kobor described herself as a “political activist” and said she received an email from fellow supporters of Arpaio urging people to attend the rally. She is part of a group called American Citizens United, which she said is a “non-racist organization that tries to stop illegal immigration.”

Kobor said she believed Stoddard is a victim of an ongoing political war among Arpaio, county Attorney Andrew Thomas, local judges and the Board of Supervisors. “It’s a waste of public money.”