DOJ: Sheriff Arpaio “Engages In Racial Profiling Of Latinos”

The Department of Justice released a memo today noting that Arizona’s Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio “engages in racial profiling of Latinos.” There’s more. Here’s the memo and here’s an excerpt:

Based upon our extensive investigation, we find reasonable cause to believe that MCSO engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing. Specifically, we find that MCSO, through the actions of its deputies, supervisory staff, and command staff, engages in racial profiling of Latinos; unlawfully stops, detains, and arrests Latinos; and unlawfully retaliates against individuals who complain about or criticize MCSO’ s policies or practices, all in violation of Section 14141. MCSO’ s discriminatory police conduct additionally violates Title VI and its implementing regulations.

We also find reasonable cause to believe that MCSO operates its jails in a manner that discriminates against its limited English proficient (“LEP”) Latino inmates. Specifically, we find that MCSO, through the actions of its deputies, detention officers, supervisory staff, and command staff, routinely punishes Latino LEP inmates for failing to understand commands given in English and denies them critical services provided to the other inmates, all in violation of Title VI and its implementing regulations…

our investigation revealed a number of troubling incidents involving MCSO deputies using excessive force against Latinos. Second, we observed that MCSO has implemented its immigration enforcement program in a way that has created a “wall of distrust” between MCSO officers and Maricopa County’s Latino residents – a wall of distrust that has significantly compromised MCSO’ s ability to provide police protection to Maricopa County’s Latino residents?