The elected Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona is facing court action for what the Obama Justice Department calls "a culture of bias" in which deputies routinely referred to Latinos as "wetbacks" and "stupid Mexicans." US Attorney Thomas Perez called it "an abuse of power…that disregarded the Constitution, ignored sound police practices, compromised public safety, and did not hesitate to retaliate against perceived critics." At a news conference in Phoenix yesterday, Joe Arpaio called the case against him one motivated by the federal government's dispute over his handling of illegal immigration. Andrew Cohen is legal editor for CBS Radio News and 60 Minutes, and contributing editor at The Atlantic.
Sheriff Arpaio Faces Federal Complaint
Credits
Guest:
- Andrew Cohen - senior editor at The Marshall Project, and a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice - @JustADCohen