TIME TO BREAK THE CODE OF SILENCE – WE ALL MATTER Resolution Calling for the Resignation of Sheriff Arpaio WHEREAS, Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio has served as Maricopa County’s top law enforcement elected official since 1993; WHEREAS, Under Sheriff Arpaio’s leadership, his office failed to investigate over 400 sex crimes; WHEREAS, In El Mirage, at least 32 reported child molestation casesfailed to be adequately investigated and in some casescompletely ignored even though suspects were known in all but six casesand one caseinvolved a two year old baby; WHEREAS, Sheriff Arpaio’s Office refused several requests over a period of months to answer questions about the investigations and declined a public records request for an internal affairs report; WHEREAS, Sheriff Arpaio and his high ranking officers have already admitted that policy violations occurred and as a result many perpetrators of these sex crimes went unpunished; WHEREAS, the Department of Justice (DOJ),in a recent report concluded: MCSOand the actions of its deputies, supervisory staff, and command staff, engagesin racial profiling of Latinos; unlawfully stops, detains, and arrests Latinos; and unlawfully retaliates against individuals who complain about or criticize MCSO’spolicies or practices; WHEREAS, Sheriff Arpaio has stated on many occasions that he is America’s toughest Sheriff and that he is in charge of his department; WHERAS, Marty Atencio, a citizen and Latino veteran was recently apprehended, booked and killed by Sheriff deputies while in custody; WHEREAS, Democratic leaders and African American leaders have already called for Sheriff Arpaio’s resignation, expressing their frustration and disappointment with the findings in the DOJreport and over 400 uninvestigated sex crimes; WHEREAS, Republican leaders in state and local government continue to adhere to a code of silence and refuse to stand up for children who have been sexually violated, citizens who have been stripped of their constitutional right to free speech and taxpayers who have paid over $50 million dollars in legal settlements due to the failed leadership of Sheriff Arpaio; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED , that Republican leaders – the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House and the Governor of Arizona – MUST BREAK THE CODE OF SILENCE and demonstrate to all Arizonans that no one is above the law and that no citizen or child should be harassed, intimidated, sexually violated, unlawfully detained or mistreated. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED , that the Republican leadership must acknowledge that these are not partisan issuesand are indeed indicative of Sheriff Arpaio’s failure as Maricopa County’s top law enforcement officer; AND FINALLY, BE IT RESOLVED , that Republicans and Democrats, elected leaders and common citizens, must work together to restore the public’s trust in law enforcement by calling for the immediate resignation of Sheriff Arpaio so these issuescan be honestly and effectively resolved.
Submitted this 9 th Day of January, 2012