Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (42 images)

I've been photographing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his jails for about 10 years. The Sheriff has been a lightning rod for controversy in the state of Arizona for almost his entire tenure. He is one of the most popular politicians and most powerful Republicans in the state. He campaigns as a tough, no nonsense lawman and claims the nickname of "America's Toughest Sheriff." But human rights activists and many on the left complain that the Sheriff and his department...
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I've been photographing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his jails for about 10 years. The Sheriff has been a lightning rod for controversy in the state of Arizona for almost his entire tenure. He is one of the most popular politicians and most powerful Republicans in the state. He campaigns as a tough, no nonsense lawman and claims the nickname of "America's Toughest Sheriff." But human rights activists and many on the left complain that the Sheriff and his department routinely deny people their constitutionally guaranteed civil rights, engages in racial profiling and uses his office to intimidate political opponents.

On Dec. 15, 2011, the US Department of Justice issued a report highly critical of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department and the Sheriff's jails and supported many of his opponents' claims. The DOJ said the Sheriff's Dept. engages in widespread discrimination against Latinos during traffic stops and immigration enforcement, violates the rights of Spanish speaking prisoners in the jails and retaliates against the Sheriff's political opponents.

These are some of the photos I've made of the Sheriff's operations over the years.
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