Friday, January 11, 2013

Sherriff Joe's Armed School Protection "Posse" includes Convicts & Sex Offenders

Thu Jan 10, 2013 at 10:31 AM PST

by Vyan

Chalk this one up in the You can't make this shit up column, but it's apparently true.

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'Sheriff's posse members to start patrolling schools this week'

by Catherine Holland and Jason Volentine

Video report by Javier Soto

Posted on January 7, 2013 at 6:53 AM

Updated Monday, Jan 7 at 11:15 PM

Poll:

Do you support Sheriff Joe Arpaio's plan to send armed posse members to protect schools in his juridiction?

Yes, and it should be expanded to all Maricopa County schools

or View results

MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. -- In a somewhat controversial move, members of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's volunteer posse are slated to start patrolling some Maricopa County schools.

Some of those posse members reportedly have criminal pasts. That's where the controversy comes in.

An MCSO spokesman said those people have already faced disciplinary action in connection with their crimes, either avoided felony convictions or petitioned to have their records expunged, and are now moving on.
Most of the schools that will be patrolled are located in county islands. The patrols will not be on the campuses, but rather in the area surrounding the schools. The idea is to have a visible law-enforcement presence around the schools.

“But if our lives were threatened or a child's life was threatened, a teacher’s life was threatened and we see that while on patrol, we would be prepared to take some kind of action,” posse member Jerry Johnson said.

Some 3,000 people are part of the sheriff's posse. While all of them are volunteers, even paying for all their own guns and equipment, posse members are insured by MCSO. The county would therefore likely be on the hook for any liability if some kind of accident happened during a school patrol.

“I have the authority to mobilize private citizens and fight crime in this county,” Arpaio said two weeks after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. He said he does not need permission from the schools or the districts to launch these patrols.

Volunteers will patrol schools in towns that fall under sole jurisdiction of the sheriff's office – places like Cave Creek, Anthem, Fountain Hills, Sun City, Litchfield Park, Gila Bend, Carefree, Queen Creek, Guadalupe - which he said amounts to about 50 grade, middle and high schools.

Arpaio first started using his posse to protect malls during the holiday shopping season in 1993 in response to violent incidents in prior years. Since then he said malls where his posse members are on patrol have had zero violent re-occurrences and patrols by his all-volunteer squad during the 2012 shopping season netted a record 31 arrests.

Arpaio said since the program has worked so well in malls he believes it will work just as well protecting schools.

While some of the patrols were expected to start Monday, other members were slated to undergo training. The program will be fully rolled out Wednesday.
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In a somewhat controversial move, members of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's volunteer posse are slated to start patrolling some Maricopa County schools.
Some of those posse members reportedly have criminal pasts. That's where the controversy comes in.
An MCSO spokesman said those people have already faced disciplinary action in connection with their crimes, either avoided felony convictions or petitioned to have their records expunged, and are now moving on

Ok, so that's just great. Slate clean. Get your gun, head for the local school. And exactly what are we "moving on" from, just so we're all clear about this?

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'Criminal pasts don't disqualify members of Arpaio posse'

Posted: Mar 14, 2012 4:14 PM EDT Updated: Mar 15, 2012 1:15 AM EDT

By Tammy Leitner - Posted by Steve Stout -

CBS 5 - KPHO

PHOENIX (CBS5) -

Maricopa County Sheriff's Posse members wear uniforms, have badges, drive county vehicles and some even carry guns. And some of them also have criminal records.

"They have as much power as the deputy wants to give them, including the power to arrest under the supervision of that deputy," said Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Arpaio wants his army of 3,000 volunteer posse members to look like sworn deputies and sometimes perform the same duties. But an in-depth project by CBS 5 Investigates uncovered a number of posse members with arrests for assault, drug possession, domestic violence, sex crimes against children, disorderly conduct, impersonating an officer - and the list goes on.

These are crimes that are not tolerated in many professions, especially professions with an implied authority.

"We have about 600 (members) armed with guns," said Arpaio. "We haven't seen any problems with posse men and women shooting people and everything else. Where are all the problems?"

CBS 5 Investigates discovered that the county does not keep detailed records on posse members. A look into the backgrounds of about 2,000 of them revealed arrests for dozens of different crimes. From there, CBS 5 took a close look at some of the cases that were able to be confirmed.

"Don't get me wrong, I've done some things in my life that I'm not proud of," said Michael Hoopingarner who admits to being arrested for cocaine possession in 1999. "It's stuff that may not even be on paper. It's stuff that I had to disclose when I joined."

The process by which a candidate can be approved is subjective, at best.

A posse applicant "could be disqualified" if they have a felony conviction, have used illegal drugs excessively, or sport a misdemeanor narcotics conviction, according to the sheriff's office posse application. Despite Hoopingarner's disclosure, he was hired on the posse.

And then there was Jacob Cutler. According to a Flagstaff police report, Cutler threw his girlfriend to the ground and choked her while trying to sexually assault her in 2008. When she didn't cooperate, he allegedly threatened to call police and said they would side with him, because he "has a badge." He was a member of Arpaio's posse at the time.

Cutler and Hoopingarner attended anger management and drug diversion programs, respectively, and their records were eventually wiped clean. Cutler maintained his posse membership and Hoopingarner was later approved as a member.

While combing through thousands of pages of court records and police reports, CBS 5 Investigates discovered that some posse members were behaving as though they were above the law.

Kevin Ray Campos was arrested in 2007 outside a Scottsdale club for disorderly conduct. According to the police report, he spit on several bouncers and then hurled profanities at a Scottsdale police officer. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, according to court records, and was hired as a posse member a year later.

Law enforcement agencies should not allow people with criminal histories access to a badge or uniform or any other accessory that might give them the appearance of being a law enforcement officer, said former Arizona U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton, who has represented sworn police officers that have been under scrutiny for lesser crimes than these.

"If the posse members are being given badges, if the posse members are being given guns, then they ought to have the same supervision as other law enforcement agencies have," said Charlton. "Here, that's not taking place and that's reason for concern."

One posse member with an extensive disciplinary file is Douglas Clark, who also happens to be a constable. Clark has been counseled for rolling a county vehicle, driving 91 mph in a 45-mph zone, using his siren when not on a call, and using red-and-blue lights installed on his personal vehicle to look for something his wife had lost in the road.

CBS 5 Investigates tracked Clark down and asked him if he feels he is above the law.

"I can't answer anything on posse stuff," Clark told us. "I'm forbidden to answer anything with the sheriff's office."

And then there's the accusation from 2007 that a driver backed into Clark's car and then left the scene. Clark allegedly followed the car, rammed the vehicle and held the driver and passenger at gunpoint, all while he was off-duty.

Yet, Clark still remains in the posse.

"Law enforcement can be a long career," said Maricopa County Sheriff's Sgt. Dave Trombi. "People do things wrong throughout their career. We discipline them appropriately."

Ironically, it was the sheriff's office that recommended criminal charges against Clark for holding someone at gunpoint. Charges were never filed by the county attorney.

"We didn't turn a blind eye," said Trombi.

Law enforcement hiring budgets are tight across the nation, but the sheriff has found a way to employ his army of volunteers at no cost.

Posse members provide their own uniforms, handcuffs and guns, which can cost as much as $2,300.

"I don't know what we would do without the posse because we have a shortage of manpower and they pick up the slack free of charge, no cost to the taxpayers," said Arpaio.

While they don't draw a salary, posse members operate within taxpayer protection and under the county's insurance.

"There is no one in this country that has thousands of posse men and women doing the job on volunteerism," said Arpaio. "I have confidence in them. I have faith in them and I am going to continue to run the posse and hire more posse."

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CBS 5 - KPHO

Arpaio wants his army of 3,000 volunteer posse members to look like sworn deputies and sometimes perform the same duties. But an in-depth project by CBS 5 Investigates uncovered a number of posse members with arrests for assault, drug possession, domestic violence, sex crimes against children, disorderly conduct, impersonating an officer - and the list goes on. These are crimes that are not tolerated in many professions, especially professions with an implied authority.

Usually this wouldn't be tolerated for someone under the color of authority, but in Sherriff Joe's Arizona - it is.

According to the local press these civilians will be insured by the Maricopa County Sherriff's Office, which means that the County is on the financial hook for anything that they might happen to do wrong - but they aren't.
Now it's fair to point this isn't really knew, Arpaio has tried it before.

Arpaio first started using his posse to protect malls during the holiday shopping season in 1993 in response to violent incidents in prior years. Since then he said malls where his posse members are on patrol have had zero violent re-occurrences and patrols by his all-volunteer squad during the 2012 shopping season netted a record 31 arrests. Arpaio said since the program has worked so well in malls he believes it will work just as well protecting schools.

I can understand the desire to give someone a second chance but... This is coming from the guy who - to this very day - thinks that Obama's Birth Certificate is a Forgery and is using taxpayer money to try and prove it.
This, coming from the Sherriff who arrested a six-year-old for suspicion of being "undocumented" on the same day that the President said that Federal Policy would be lenient on "undocumented" minors.

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'Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Arrests 6-Year-Old Undocumented Immigrant'

By Judd Legum on Jun 17, 2012 at 7:35 pm

Joe Arpaio, the controversial Arizona Sheriff from Maricopa County, arrested a 6-year-old undocumented immigrant on Friday. The move came the same day President Obama announced a new policy halting deportations for young undocumented immigrants.

The Arizona Republic has the story:

The girl was with 15 other people believed to be in the country illegally who were traveling to the Midwest and northeast United States, said Chris Hegstrom, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office.

“She’s been turned over to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to try to determine where she’s from. She told us she’s from El Salvador. That’s what she told us,” he said.

The arrest took place Friday night at an undisclosed location in northern Maricopa County…The sheriff said his deputies arresting child suspected of being an illegal immigrant the same day Obama implemented the policy is a coincidence. But if more illegal children enter the country after hearing about the new policy, Arpaio said it may not be by happenstance.“Are we going to get more of these situations where illegals feel like now they’re going to be safe? I don’t know,” he said.

Immediately following the President’s announcement Arpaio told a local ABC affiliate that it would not impact his approach toward young undocumented immigrants. “They will still be arrested,” he said.

Arpaio is currently being sued by the Department of Justice for multiple civil rights violations. He also admitted to using taxpayer resources to pursue an investigation into President Obama’s birth certificate, a widely debunked conspiracy theory.

Update

Teen Advocates USA

Not the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

The Phoenix New Times disputes the Arizona Republic report and says the 6-year-old was taken into custody but never arrested. The Arizona Republic story has not been updated.
Despite what you may have heard -- and how Joe Arpaio-ish it sounds -- Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies did not arrest a 6-year-old on Friday.

MCSO spokesman Chris Hegstrom tells New Times deputies arrested 16 people during a human-smuggling operation, but the 6-year-old found in the van wasn't one of them.

"We're not arresting a 6-year-old," Hegstrom says.

Update

Arpaio confirms the arrest of the 6-year-old on CNN

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This, coming from the Sherriff who argued that he may need to supply his deputies with automatic weapons to protect them from the heinous attempted escape of undocumented suspects.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio says, “Once again the entry into Maricopa County from Mexico by illegal aliens does not seem to have subsided by evidence of numerous arrests made by my deputies. Aside from their determination to get away we will continue to make every effort to pursue and apprehend human smugglers as well as drug traffickers. More and more illegal aliens are attempting to escape which places my deputies in dangerous positions. In the near future I will be issuing automatic weapons for all my deputies”.

But the truth is we're not really just talking about crimes and abuse from their past -- these are some examples of the what the local CBS station found have already happened with members of this "Posse".

"Don't get me wrong, I've done some things in my life that I'm not proud of," said Michael Hoopingarner who admits to being arrested for cocaine possession in 1999. "It's stuff that may not even be on paper. It's stuff that I had to disclose when I joined." ... A posse applicant "could be disqualified" if they have a felony conviction, have used illegal drugs excessively, or sport a misdemeanor narcotics conviction, according to the sheriff's office posse application. Despite Hoopingarner's disclosure, he was hired on the posse. And then there was Jacob Cutler. According to a Flagstaff police report, Cutler threw his girlfriend to the ground and choked her while trying to sexually assault her in 2008. When she didn't cooperate, he allegedly threatened to call police and said they would side with him, because he "has a badge." He was a member of Arpaio's posse at the time.
...
Kevin Ray Campos was arrested in 2007 outside a Scottsdale club for disorderly conduct. According to the police report, he spit on several bouncers and then hurled profanities at a Scottsdale police officer. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, according to court records, and was hired as a posse member a year later.

Anyone else see a potential problem brewing here? Vyan

Michael Hoopingarner, Maricopa County posse member

Doug Clark, Maricopa County posse member

Sheriff's Sgt. Dave Trombi

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Friday, January 11, 2013