Tagged: Joe Arpaio

After tonight’s State of the Union Address, President Obama heads west to five states that will be key to his re-election next year. One of his first stops - Wednesday afternoon --  will be in the Phoenix area. In 2008, the president largely ignored the home turf of his opponent, John McCain. But as Peter O’Dowd reports, the political winds in this historically conservative state are swirling.

Call it volatility. Call it turmoil. Or just call it momentum. Whatever it is, President Obama, and a less famous guy named Mike Stauffer, want to build on it.

The Department of Justice’s report alleging civil rights abuses in the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office had immediate repercussions. Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of Homeland Security, announced that her department had severed its cooperative agreements with the sheriff’s office. The decision strips Sheriff Joe Arpaio of the ability to enforce federal immigration laws.

The Department of Justice on Thursday leveled charges of unconstitutional policing against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation into civil rights abuses by Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been going on for more than three years.

The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department accused the sheriff’s office of racially profiling Hispanics and unlawfully arresting them. Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez called the sheriff’s office "broken" as he laid out the allegations.