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Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Refuses to Cooperate With Justice Department
Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio made headlines again this week, when on April 3 he flat-out rejected the U.S. Justice Department’s demand for an independent monitor in regards to the three year investigation involving discrimination allegations against Latinos within his police department during a news conference in Phoenix, Arizona according to USA Today.
Arpaio and his lawyers have been in negotiations with the DOJ on ways to remedy the allegations that include racial profiling. And on Tuesday, the DOJ made it clear that Arpaio’s refusal was a deal-breaker that would end settlement negotiations and bring about a federal lawsuit, according to the Huffington Post.
“We believe that you are wasting time and not negotiating in good faith,” wrote Roy Austin Jr., a deputy assistant attorney general, questioning whether the sheriff’s office was ever interested in settling the matter. “Your tactics have required DOJ to squander valuable time and resources.”
Arpaio, fired back that the monitor was an attempt at President Barack Obama’s administration to control the daily operations of his office and that turning it over would be “a dereliction of my duty,” according to USA Today.
Negotiation talks were to continue today, but have been called off following Arpaio’s refusal to cooperate and there has been no announcement as to when they may continue, according to the Huffington Post. The DOJ said this was the second time negotiations have been called off.
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