Feds say Arpaio violated civil rights

Feds say Arpaio violated civil rights

PHOENIX (AP) — The head of Justice Department’s civil rights division says there’s a culture of unconstitutional activity in an Arizona sheriff’s office that’s home to Phoenix.

Thomas Perez says Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office has committed a wide range of civil rights violations, including racial profiling of Latinos and unlawful arrests, discrimination against inmates with limited English and illegal retaliation against critics.

Perez says the Justice Department’s expert on measuring racial profiling says it’s the most egregious case of racial profiling in the nation that he has seen or reviewed in professional literature.

He says investigators interviewed more than 400 people, including Arpaio, reviewed thousands of documents and toured county jail.

Arpaio’s office has to say by Jan. 4 whether it will take part in settlement talks.