Joe Arpaio

Arpaio Turns to Former Bush DOJ Official To Stymie Federal Probe

Zachary Roth | December 14, 2009, 11:12AM

Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Robert Driscoll

Sheriff Joe Arpaio has turned to a heavy-hitting former Bush Justice Department official and veteran Washington lawyer to help thwart a federal civil-rights probe of his controversial law-enforcement tactics.

Since March, investigators with DOJ's Civil Rights Division have been looking into allegations of racial profiling and related issues in connection with Arpaio's enforcement of immigration laws. Between 2004 and 2007, Arpaio reportedly had 2,700 law suits filed against his office -- 50 times the number of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston combined.

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