Contempt citation of detention officer
The Maricopa County Court HouseIn October, 2009, a courtroom video was posted on YouTube, showing an MCSO Detention Officer surreptitiously removing documents from a defense attorney's files.<11> The officer was subsequently found in contempt-of-court for violating attorney-client privilege, and ordered to hold a press conference, to publicly apologize for his actions.<12> On the deadline set by the court, the officer declined to apologize, and was jailed.<13> The next day, 20 MCSO detention officers failed to report for work at the downtown Phoenix Superior Court, and a bomb threat was called in, causing the building to be evacuated. The same afternoon, more than 150 deputies and detention officers gathered outside the courthouse and reiterated their support for the jailed detention officer.<14> The MCSO appealed the contempt order, and pending the outcome of the appeal, the officer was released from jail. Ultimately, the contempt-of-court ruling was upheld, however the court of appeals threw out the penalty (that the officer apologize), and sent the case back to superior court for the imposition of a more appropriate sanction, such as a fine.<15>
Controversial use of SWAT forcesOn July 23, 2004 SWAT served a search warrant looking for "a stockpile of illegal automatic weapons and armor-piercing pistol ammunition" that they believed was hidden at an upscale home. In the course of serving the warrant, multiple tear gas cartridges were launched into the home. The result of which was the home catching fire. During the fire, SWAT forced the homeowner's 10-month-old pit bull puppy back into the home with a fire extinguisher, causing the dog's death. It was reported that the officers laughed over the incident. Also, the armored personnel carrier used during the assault ran over and damaged a neighbor's vehicle when its brakes failed. Police recovered two weapons; one antique shotgun; and one 9mm pistol. Both weapons are legal to own in Arizona. After failing to find illicit weapons the police served an arrest warrant for the owner who was also wanted on a misdemeanor warrant for failing to appear in Tempe Municipal Court on a couple of traffic citations.<16>
Arpaio began to serve inmates surplus food and limited meals to twice daily.<17>
He banned inmates from possessing "sexually explicit material" including Playboy magazine after female officers complained that inmates openly masturbated while viewing them, or harassed the officers by comparing their anatomy to the nude photos in the publications. The ban was challenged on First Amendment grounds but upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.<18>
In February 2007, Arpaio instituted an in-house radio station he calls KJOE.<19> Arpaio's radio station broadcasts classical music, opera, Frank Sinatra hits, patriotic music and educational programming. It operates from the basement of the county jail for five days a week, four hours each day.
In March 2007, the Maricopa County Jail hosted "Inmate Idol",<20> a takeoff on the popular TV show American Idol.
Starting in July 2000, the Maricopa County Sheriff's website hosted “Jail Cam”, a 24-hour Internet webcast of images from cameras in the Madison Street Jail, a facility which processed and housed pretrial detainees. The goals of the broadcasts were the deterrence of future crime and improved public scrutiny of jail procedures. The cameras showed arrestees being brought in handcuffed, fingerprinted, booked, and taken to holding cells; with the site receiving millions of hits per day.<21> Twenty-four former detainees brought suit against the Sheriff's office, arguing that their Fourteenth Amendment rights of due process had been violated.
Under Arpaio, the Maricopa County Jails have lost accreditation multiple times.<22> In September, 2008, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care terminated the accreditation of all Maricopa County Sheriff's Office jails for failure to maintain compliance with national standards, and providing false information about such compliance.<23><24> In October, 2008, a U.S. district court judge ruled that
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maricopa_County_Sheriff%27s_Office_controversies
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