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| 'Toughest Sheriff' Recruits Big Names For Border 'Posse' |
| 2010-11-18 |
| "America's toughest sheriff," Phoenix's Joe Arpaio, is creating an armed "Immigration Posse" to combat illegal immigration, and Hollywood actors Steven Seagal and Lou Ferrigno, along with Dick Tracy and Wyatt Earp, have signed up. Fighting Justice Department accusations that his office discriminated against illegal immigrants during arrests, Sheriff Arpaio said the civilian posse of more than 50 members gives citizens a chance to fight the problem inundating their border state. "Law enforcement budgets are being cut and agencies are losing personnel and yet the battle to stop illegal immigration must continue," said the sheriff, who heads the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. "Arizona is the busiest port of entry for people being smuggled in from Mexico, Latin and South America. So asking for the public's help in this endeavor makes sense, especially given the success the posses have experienced over the years." Fifty-six new Immigration Posse members from various professions were sworn in by the sheriff Wednesday as "illegal immigration fighters." Mr. Seagal, who starred in such action movies as "Under Siege" and "Above the Law," is a sworn deputy in New Orleans. Mr. Ferrigno, who played the title role in the 1970s TV series "The Incredible Hulk," works as a reserve deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office. Another new civilian volunteer is Peter Lupus, who starred in "Mission Impossible." "These guys are busy with their acting careers, so I don't expect them to be here on duty very often," Sheriff Arpaio said. "But they can be instrumental in heightening public awareness of the immigration issue and encouraging others to join the posse's effort to help reduce the flow of illegal immigrants into our communities." The sheriff also said Dick Tracy, a retired Chicago police official who now lives in Arizona, has joined the posse, along with Wyatt Earp, a Phoenix resident whose uncle was the Old West lawman of the same name. Since the time Sheriff Arpaio took office in 1993, he has built up the volunteer posse to nearly 3,000 members, with 59 posses operating throughout Maricopa County. He said the volunteer posses work thousands of hours and donate vehicles, planes and helicopters to the sheriff's office as well as a variety of professional services, saving tax payers millions of dollars each year. "People from all walks of life have contacted my office saying they want to help me in this fight in some way. This is how they can do that - by being members of a volunteer posse with the specific aim of fighting illegal immigration and lending their particular expertise to the fight," the sheriff said. Of the 56 Immigration Posse members, 33 are already qualified to carry weapons. They will work with deputies in searching for vehicles carrying illegal immigrants and the "safe houses," where the people are housed before they are sent out of state. They also will help maintain crowd control during demonstrations against the sheriff's immigration policies. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has investigated, arrested or detained more than 42,000 illegal immigrants during the past three years. "My ultimate goal with the creation of this newest posse is to catch and jail as many illegal immigrants coming into this county [as possible] and to apprehend those who are illegally living and working here already," Sheriff Arpaio said. "Let's face it - my deputies are outnumbered; so the more volunteers we can get trained and out on the streets to fight illegal immigration, the better off we will be to fight it." |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #3 "Guaranteed that Washington would set up a major howl" What's the downside, 'moose? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-11-18 15:24 |
| #2 To start with, it should be under State auspices Joe Arpaio is about Joe Arpaio first and foremost. Putting this under Arizona control means he doesn't get his name in the papers. |
| Posted by: Pstanley 2010-11-18 15:02 |
| #1 Arpaio is doing this the wrong way. To start with, it should be under State auspices, to overcome any border county disputes, as well as an agreement with the Tohono O'odham Indians, whose reservation goes from central AZ all the way into Mexico. Then the State can offer incentives to *unemployed* citizens to act as lookouts, to augment uniformed personnel, and to provide support services to each other, such as transportation, food and water. This would put a lot of people on the border for low cost, and seal up the border pretty tight. Guaranteed that Washington would set up a major howl, however. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-11-18 14:41 |