This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

KGTV, digital channel 10, is the ABC television affiliate in San Diego, California. The station can be seen on Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T U-verse on cable channel 10 in standard definition. Time Warner Cable carries its high definition signal on cable channel 710, while AT&T U-verse and Cox Communications carry its HD signal on channel 1010. The station is also available on its customary channel 10 position (in both standard definition and in high definition) on both of DirecTV and Dish Network's local channels packages.

It is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company, which also owns Azteca America affiliate KZSD-LP. KGTV's transmitter is located atop Mount Soledad above La Jolla, California.

History[link]

This section requires expansion.

The station went on the air on September 13, 1953 as KFSD-TV, and was affiliated at the time with NBC. KFVW/KFSD-FM radio (1220/620/600 AM) was the first full time commercial radio station in San Diego which signed on June 3, 1925. KFBC/KGB signed on July 14, 1922, but was only on the air part-time as an amateur station at 833.3 Kilocycles. Channel 10's call letters followed the AM and FM stations to make it a complete combo AM/FM/TV. In 1961, the stations changed their call letters to KOGO, as the format of the AM station changed to MOR (Middle of the Road).

The broadcasting division of the Time-Life magazine company purchased the KOGO stations, KOGO-AM-FM-TV, in 1962 from a locally based firm, Fox, Wells & Rogers.

In 1972, McGraw-Hill purchased KOGO-TV (along with the rest of Time-Life's broadcasting properties) and changed its call letters to the present KGTV (to reflect KOGO-TV). The radio stations were sold separately, and AM 600 retained the KOGO call letters, and was sold to Retlaw (which is Walter spelled backwards, and was a broadcast company owned by members of Walt Disney's family, specifically his children and his brother. These holdings were separate from the Walt Disney Studios). 94.1 went back to the KFSD calls, and went through a series of owners. In 1977, the station dropped its affiliation with NBC and switched to ABC. NBC had crashed to last place while ABC had become the #1 network in the country with hit shows (Happy Days, Three's Company, Laverne & Shriley, Charlie's Angels, The Love Boat, Starsky and Hutch, etc. ) and specials (Rich Man, Poor Man, Roots). KCST-TV (channel 39, now KNSD) picked up NBC and is now a NBC majority-owned-and-operated station.

In April 2009, KGTV rebranded itself as "ABC 10" and launched new graphics and a new logo.^{[citation needed]}

On October 3, 2011, McGraw-Hill announced it was selling its entire television station group, including KGTV and Azteca America affiliate KZSD-LP, to The E.W. Scripps Company for $212 million.^[1] The deal was completed on December 30, 2011.^[2]

Digital Television[link]

Analog-to-digital conversion[link]

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion on February 17, 2009,^[3] KGTV moved its digital signal from channel 25 to channel 10.^[4] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers continue to display KGTV's virtual channel as 10. Since KGTV is an ABC network affiliate, it broadcasts in 720p high definition.

Programming[link]

Syndicated programing on KGTV includes Rachael Ray, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, The Doctors, and Inside Edition.

News operation[link]

KGTV first began to challenge KFMB's dominance in the mid-1970s when anchormen Jack White and Harold Greene, along with popular weatherman "Captain Mike" Ambrose and sportscasters Al Coupee and Hal Clement, led The News to popularity, albeit briefly.

Even with the brief return of Greene following his stints in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the station fell back to second place behind KFMB in the early 1980s. However, management succeeded in acquiring the services of popular anchorman Michael Tuck from KFMB in 1984; the move resulted in KGTV reclaiming first place and giving the station credibility by way of Tuck's infamous nightly commentaries titled "Perspectives."

KGTV also made history by being the first station in San Diego with a female anchor team with its 11 p.m. newscast, featuring Carol LeBeau and Bree Walker. After Walker left in 1987, Kimberly Hunt would team with LeBeau and form the city's longest-running anchor duo at 15 years. During that time, LeBeau and Hunt would anchor alongside Tuck (who left for Los Angeles in 1990, only to return to San Diego on KFMB), Stephen Clark (now at WXYZ-TV in Detroit), Steve Wolford, and a returning Hal Clement (who had switched from sports to news in 1983 while at KFMB).

KGTV's Sky10 news helicopter

Eventually, KGTV would decline after Hunt left to anchor the news at KUSI-TV alongside Tuck, at one point falling to third as KNSD rose to number one at 11 p.m. The Hunt-Lebeau team reunited in early 2008, before LeBeau retired the following year. On August 30, 2008, KGTV became the third station, behind KFMB-TV and KSWB-TV, to launch local news in High Definition.

KGTV is among the few United States television stations that broadcast local news programs at 7:00 p.m. on weeknights. In May 2010, the newscast was the top rated early evening newscast in the market in the 25-54 demographic.

News/station presentation[link]

Newscast titles[link]

• KFSD-TV News (1953–1961)
• KOGO News (1961–1965)
• Eyewitness News (1965–1977)
• The News (1977–1981)
• NewsWatch 10 (1981–1984)
• 10 News (1984–present)^[5]

Station slogans[link]

• "The Team That Stands for San Diego" (1988–1994)
• "The Team You Count On Everyday" (1994–1998)
• "See What Leadership Can Do for You" (2000–2004)
• "San Diego's (Local) News Leader" (2004–2008)
• "San Diego's News Source" (2011–present)

News team[link]

[edit] Current on-air staff^[6]

Anchors

• Steve Atkinson - weeknights at 5, 7 and 11 p.m.
• Virginia Cha - weeknights at 5:30 p.m.
• Bill Griffith - weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) and midday (11 a.m.)
• Kimberly Hunt - weeknights at 5, 6, 7 and 11 p.m.
• Itica Milanes - weekends at 5, 6 and 11 p.m.; also weeknight reporter and fill-in anchor
• Chris Murphy - weekends at 5, 6, and 11 p.m.; also weeknight reporter and fill-in anchor
• Kaushal Patel - weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.) and midday (11 a.m.)

10 News Pinpoint Weather

• Pat Brown - chief weather anchor; weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6, 7 and 11 p.m.
• Robert Santos - weather anchor; weekday mornings (4:30-7 a.m.), midday (11 a.m.), and fill-in news anchor
• Craig Herrera (AMS Seal of Approval) - weather anchor; weekends at 5, 6 and 11 p.m., also weeknight reporter
• Natasha Stenbock (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; fill-in

Sports team

• Ben Higgins - sports director; Sunday-Thursdays at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Steve Smith - sports anchor; Fridays and Saturdays at 6 and 11 p.m.

10 News TimeSaver Traffic

• Phil Konstantin - Sky10 reporter
• Melissa Mecija - weekday morning traffic anchor
• Larry Landeros - CHP traffic officer
• Jesse Udovich - CHP traffic officer

Reporters

• Allison Ash - Downtown Courthouse and general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
• Rachel Bianco - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
• Mitch Blacher - "I-Team" investigative reporter
• John Carroll - general assignment reporter
• Michael Chen - general assignment reporter
• Tory Dunnan - U.S. Capitol reporter
• Ariana Duarte - general assignment reporter
• Steve Fiorina - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
• Vanessa Van Hyfte - freelance general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor
• Jennifer Jensen - general assignment reporter
• Bob Lawrence - Military and general assignment reporter
• Joe Little - South Bay and general assignment reporter
• MaryAnn Martinez - general assignment reporter
• Melissa Mecija - general assignment reporter
• Nannette Miranda - State Capitol reporter
• Hannah Mullens - general assignment reporter
• Preston Phillips - general assignment reporter; also fill-in anchor

Former on-air staff[link]

• Sandy Castelblanco
• Alejandra Cerball
• Cary Chow
• Hal Clement
• Luis Cruz
• Harold Greene - anchor/reporter (1974–1977 and 1980–1982; later at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles, now retired)
• Nina Jimenez
• Lisa Kim - anchor (1986–1994; last at KNTV in San Jose/San Francisco)
• Lisa Lake - weekday morning and midday anchor (1995-2008)
• Carol LeBeau
• Kerstin Lindquist
• Mike Kirsch
• Paul Magers (1981–1983; now at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles)
• Bryon Miranda
• Kent Ninomiya - reporter (1991–1993)
• Regis Philbin - KGTV talk show (1961–1964; later a talk and game show host,Live with Regis and Kelly and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire; now retired)
• Sarah Purcell - talk show host (late 1970s, later co-hosted NBC's Real People)
• Lauren Reynolds
• Angele Ringo
• Salvador Rivera
• Larry Sacknoff - sportscaster (1978–1992)^[7]
• Billy Ray Smith - sportscaster (1993–1997, now at XX Sports Radio)
• Bree Walker - anchor/reporter (1980–1987)

See also[link]

• KGTV Tower

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Station Index @ TVJobs.com
• KGTV Talent @ TVJobs.com
• Query the FCC's TV station database for KGTV
• BIAfn's Media Web Database -- Information on KGTV-TV

Lee Ann Kim is a first-generation Korean American who was an anchor and general assignment reporter for KGTV Channel 10, the San Diego, California ABC television affiliate. She worked at KGTV from 1996 to 2008. She is also the executive director of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation[1], which presents the annual San Diego Asian Film Festival, an event she founded in 2000 with the Asian American Journalists Association of San Diego. She has been married to Louis Song since 1997, with whom she has two sons.

Background[link]

Lee Ann Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea and her family emigrated to Chicago in 1971 where she spent most of her childhood life with her three younger sisters, her mother, and her father, who is a doctor. She majored in broadcast journalism with a minor in Spanish at the University of Maryland.

After discussing it for many years, a story she saw on former National Football League quarterback Dan Marino's own family, prompted Lee Ann and her husband to adopt a child while having a birth child of their own. They contacted Holt International adoption agency and were matched with a boy in March, 2005. However, when the agency was notified that Kim was to give birth in July, 2005, the agency put a stop to the adoption process and reassigned the boy to another family. This was devastating for Kim, who had already named the boy Samuel.

Her birth child, Weston Yongwon Song, was born in July 2005.

Lee Ann and Louis Song continued to pursue adoption as soon as her first son was born. On June 16, 2006, they were introduced to 4 month old Samuel Hyungwon Song, her newly adopted son, at Los Angeles International Airport. Samuel was born in February, 2006.

Professional career[link]

While a senior at the University of Maryland, she was a bureau reporter for four Washington D.C. area radio stations, covering Maryland state politics in Annapolis for Capitol News Service.

In 1993, she landed her first TV job at the nation's first all-news local broadcast station, KNWS-TV in Houston, Texas. She went on to become the main anchor at the CBS station in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In 1995, she then moved to Springfield, Missouri to work at KYTV, the local NBC affiliate, where she became the first person of color to anchor the news in the Ozarks. In 1996, she accepted an offer from KGTV to work in San Diego.

Since joining KGTV news, Kim has covered Santana and Granite Hills high school shootings, the search for Danielle Van Dam, the Heaven's Gate suicides, and the 1996 Republican National Convention.

In 2005, she was promoted to the 5:30 pm weekday anchor position. In 2006, she was named as co-host of the newly created hour-long 4:00 pm news program called 10-4 San Diego. In August 2008, Lee Ann chose not to accept the station's offer of a lower salary and left the news business.^[1]

She has received numerous awards for her work including an Emmy Award for investigative reporting, the California Teacher's Association award for best educational reporting for her coverage of bilingual education, and best news report by the California Chicano News Media Association, and two national Asian American Journalists Association awards for best reporting in Asian and non-Asian related issues. She is currently the executive director of a nonprofit organization she founded, the San Diego Asian Film Foundation.

Since leaving KGTV, Lee Ann has been honored for her nonprofit work including being awarded the 2010 KPBS Hero of the Month award, 10News Leadership Award, San Diego Magazine's Top 50 People to Watch in 2009, and gracing the cover of San Diego Family Magazine in May 2010.

References[link]

• KGTV 10 News bio

External links[link]

• [2]
• [3]
• [4]
• [5]
• KGTV 10 News
• 10-4 San Diego
• Xanga site
• San Diego Asian Film Foundation
• USA Talent at TVJobs.com

D'Juan Hart (born January 15, 1979), better known by his stage name Young Dro, is an American Southern rap artist from Atlanta, Georgia. Young Dro's major label debut Best Thang Smokin' was released in August 2006.^[1]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• Best Thang Smokin' (2006)
• P.O.L.O. (Players Only Live Once) (2012)

Independent albums

• I Got That Dro (2001)

Mixtapes

• Day One (2006)
• I Am Legend (2008)
• R.I.P. (I Killed That Shit) (2009)
• Black Boy Swag, White Boy Tags with Yung LA (2009)
• Equestrian Dro (2011)
• I Co-Sign Myself (Hosted by DJ Dro) (2011)
• Drocabulary (Hosted by DJ Smallz) (2011)
• We Outchea (Hosted by Bigga Rankin) (2012)

Compilation albums

• Grand Hustle Presents: In da Streetz Volume 4 (with Grand Hustle Records) (2006)

Singles[link]

Featured singles[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Zack Hample
Hample with his baseball collection in 2008
Born	Zachary Ben Hample (1977-09-14) September 14, 1977 (age 34) New York, NY
Occupation	writer
Nationality	American
Genres	sports
www.zackhample.com

Zachary Ben Hample (born September 14, 1977, son of Stoo Hample and Naomi Cohen) is an American sports writer and Major League baseball collector. He is best known for having caught more than 5,000 baseballs in the stands at Major League stadiums.

Writing[link]

Hample has written three books. The first, How to Snag Major League Baseballs, was published by Simon & Schuster in 1999 when he was a junior at Guilford College. The second, Watching Baseball Smarter, was published by Random House in 2007 and was the 8th best selling American sports book that year. His third book, The Baseball, also published by Random House, was released on March 8, 2011. Hample, a part-time writer for minorleaguebaseball.com from 2005 to 2007, contributed the foreword to Major League Baseball: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports in 2008 and wrote the introduction for Baseball Scorekeeper in 2011.

Baseball Collection[link]

As of May 13, 2012, Hample has collected 5,912 baseballs from 49 different Major League stadiums. He acquired his first ball from a Mets reliever at Shea Stadium on June 20, 1990, snagged his 3,000th ball by using his famous baseball glove trick at Yankee Stadium on May 7, 2007, and set a personal, one-game record with 36 baseballs at Great American Ball Park on September 14th, 2011. Hample caught Barry Bonds' 724th career home run at PETCO Park on August 16, 2006 and caught the first home run of the 2007 Home Run Derby, hit by Justin Morneau at AT&T Park. On May 28, 2011, Hample caught an Alex Rios batting practice home run ball for his 5,000th baseball at Rogers Centre. He also recently visited Japan's Tokyo Dome, with a total of 12 balls at that game.

During the final week ever at the old Yankee Stadium, Hample gained worldwide recognition by catching home run balls on consecutive nights. On September 16, 2008, he made a leaping catch on a Jason Giambi home run and immediately celebrated with a goofy dance that was captured by the TV cameras. The following night, in nearly exactly the same spot in the right field bleachers, Hample reached far over a railing to make a backhanded catch on a Johnny Damon home run and celebrated with the same dance. The Yankees' announcers quickly recognized him from the previous game, and within the next 24 hours the story was covered by ESPN, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN International, Japanese TV, and many other media outlets. Yahoo! Sports initially acknowledged Hample's baseball-snagging skills, but did not know that it was he who had made the catches.^[1] Less than two weeks later, on September 28, 2008, Hample caught the last home run ever hit by a Mets player at Shea Stadium, this one off the bat of Carlos Beltran On October 8, 2008, Hample made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan to Zack Hample: 'I think you're the worst man in America'Jay Leno and followed that nearly a year later with an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Prior to Hample's three notable home run catches of 2008, he had been featured on The Rosie O'Donnell Show, the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and on an episode of the John O'Hurley version of the game show To Tell The Truth, during which he managed to trick the audience and two of the four celebrity panelists.^[2]

On April 21, 2011 Hample caught Mike Nickeas' first major league career homerun. Also, on July 24, 2011 Hample caught Mike Trout's first major league career homerun.^[3]

Charity work[link]

Since 2009, Hample has been raising money for Pitch In For Baseball, a non-profit charity that provides baseball equipment to underprivileged children all over the world.^[4] With help from his friends and fans, who pledge money for every baseball that he snags at Major League stadiums, Hample has raised more than $20,000.

Video games[link]

Hample, a competitive video game player, appeared briefly in the 2007 documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. According to Twin Galaxies, he holds official world records on half a dozen classic video games including Breakout (896 points)^[5] and Arkanoid (1,658,110 points).^[6]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official web site
• Official blog
• NPR Interview
• ESPN.com article
• Sports Illustrated article
• New York Times article
• Associated Press article
• Deadspin article

Joe Arpaio
Arpaio speaking in Phoenix on February 26, 2011
Maricopa County Sheriff
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 1993
Preceded by	Tom Agnos
Personal details
Born	Joseph M. Arpaio (1932-06-14) June 14, 1932 (age 80) Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Ava Arpaio
Occupation	Sheriff

Joseph M. "Joe" Arpaio (born June 14, 1932) is the elected Sheriff of Maricopa County in the U.S. state of Arizona. First voted into office in 1992, Arpaio is responsible for law enforcement in Maricopa County. This includes management of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, county jail, courtroom security, prisoner transport, service of warrants, and service of process. Arpaio styles himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff."^[1][2] He is well known for his outspoken stance against illegal immigration.^[3] Arpaio has become a flashpoint for controversy surrounding Arizona's SB1070 anti-illegal immigration act.^[4] He is also known for his investigation of President Barack Obama's citizenship.^[5][6][7]

Arpaio was once widely popular among voters in Arizona.^[8] His popularity has waned since 2007, notably by independent and Republican voters but still has a 57% positive job rating among Republicans; he has been re-elected five times.^[9][10]

History and law enforcement background[link]

Arpaio was born Joseph M. Arpaio in Springfield, Massachusetts on June 14, 1932, to Italian parents both from Lacedonia, Italy.^[11] Arpaio's mother died while giving birth to him, and Arpaio was raised by his father, a grocery store owner. Arpaio completed high school and worked in his father's business until age 18 when he enlisted in the United States Army.^[12]

Arpaio served in the Army from 1950 to 1954 in the Medical Detachment Division and was stationed in France for part of the time as a military policeman.^[13]

Following his discharge in 1954, Arpaio moved to Washington, D.C. and became a police officer, moving in 1957 to Las Vegas, Nevada. He served as a police officer in Las Vegas for six months before being appointed as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, which later became part of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).^[14] During his 25-year tenure with the DEA, he was stationed in Argentina, Turkey and Mexico, and advanced through the ranks to the position of head of the DEA's Arizona branch.^[15]

In 1992, Arpaio successfully campaigned for the office of Maricopa County Sheriff. The voters of Maricopa County re-elected him in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.^[16]

Arpaio married his wife Ava in 1958. Together, they have two children and four grandchildren.^[17] They currently reside in Fountain Hills, Arizona.^[18]

Actions as Maricopa County Sheriff[link]

Arpaio at the 2011 Veterans Day parade in Phoenix, Arizona, along with his wife Ava

Television[link]

In late 2008 and early 2009, Arpaio came out in Smile...You're Under Arrest!, a three-episode Fox Reality Channel series in which persons with outstanding warrants were tricked into presenting themselves for arrest.^[19]

On June 9, 2011, Arpaio was interviewed on Fox News on KSAZ-TV about a song on iTunes called "F#@K Sheriff Joe" by Contraband, describing him on his deathbed battling his own mortality.^[20]

Jails[link]

Arpaio's practices include serving inmates surplus food^[21] and limiting meals to twice daily.^[22] He has also banned inmates from possessing "sexually explicit material" including Playboy magazine after female officers complained that inmates openly masturbated while viewing them or harassed the officers by comparing their anatomy to that of the nude models in the publications. The ban was challenged on First Amendment grounds but upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.^[23]

In February 2007, Arpaio instituted an in-house radio station he calls KJOE.^[24] Arpaio's radio station broadcasts classical music, opera, Frank Sinatra hits, patriotic music and educational programming. It operates from the basement of the county jail for five days a week, four hours each day.

In an ongoing case, federal judge Neil V. Wake ruled in 2008 and 2010 that the Maricopa County jails violated the constitutional rights of inmates in medical and other care related issues.^[25][26]

Tent City[link]

Arpaio set up a "Tent City" as an extension of the Maricopa County Jail.^[27] Arpaio has described Tent City as a concentration camp.^[28] Tent City is located in a yard next to a more permanent structure containing toilets, showers, and an area for meals.^[29] It has become notable particularly because of Phoenix's extreme temperatures.

On July 2, 2011, when the temperature in Phoenix hit 118 °F (48 °C), Arpaio measured the temperature inside Tent City at 145 °F (63 °C). Some inmates complained that fans near their beds were not working, and that their shoes were melting from the heat.^[30] During the summer of 2003, when outside temperatures exceeded 110 °F (43 °C), Arpaio said to complaining inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents, have to wear full body armor, and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths."^[31] In 1997, Amnesty International published a report on Arpaio's jails which found that Tent City is not an "adequate or humane alternative to housing inmates in suitable ... jail facilities."^[32] Tent City is criticized by groups contending that there are violations of human and constitutional rights.^[33] Those critical of Arpaio also point out that the vast majority of inmates within Tent City have not been convicted; rather, they are merely awaiting trial.^[34]

Volunteer chain gangs[link]

In 1995, Arpaio reinstituted chain gangs. In 1996, he expanded the chain gang concept by instituting female volunteer chain gangs.^[35] Female inmates work seven hours a day (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.), six days a week. He has also instituted the world's first all-juvenile volunteer chain gang; volunteers earn high school credit toward a diploma.^[36]

Pink underwear[link]

One of his most visible public-relations actions was the introduction of pink underwear, which the Maricopa County Sheriff's website cites as being, "world-famous."^{[citation needed]} Arpaio subsequently started to sell customized pink boxers (with the Maricopa County Sheriff's logo and "Go Joe") as a fund-raiser for Sheriff's Posse Association. Despite allegations of misuse of funds received from these sales, Arpaio declined to provide an accounting for the money.^[37]

Arpaio's success in gaining press coverage with the pink underwear resulted in his extending the use of the color. He introduced pink handcuffs, using the event to promote his book, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, America's Toughest Sheriff.^[38]

Selective Service registration and organ donors[link]

In 2001, he was the first sheriff to require all inmates aged 18 and over to register for the Selective Service System. (Registration is required by federal law for all U.S. males between 18 and 26 years of age, as well as for resident aliens of the same age, regardless of their immigration status.) Since 2001, a total of 28,000 inmates (including 9,000 aliens) have registered for Selective Service.^[39][40]

Arpaio also started the "Have a Heart" program in which inmates may volunteer to be organ donors.^[40]

Sheriff's posse[link]

Building upon Maricopa County's 50-year-old program, Arpaio expanded the all-volunteer citizen posse through heavy recruiting. The volunteers perform many duties for the sheriff's office:

• Search and rescue
• Emergency communications
• Prisoner transport
• Traffic control
• Backup for sworn deputies
• Office administrative duties
• Holiday Mall Patrol (which provides motorist assistance and security for shoppers during the holiday shopping season)
• Deadbeat parent details targeting men and women with outstanding arrest warrants for failure to pay child support
• Assisting in immigration sweeps
• Current investigation of President Barack Obama's birth certificate

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. standing in the blue suit behind Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce

In November 2010, Arpaio created an armed illegal immigration operations posse, to help his deputies enforce immigration law. Members of this posse include celebrity actors Steven Seagal, Lou Ferrigno, and Peter Lupus.^[41]

Controversies[link]

Arpaio has been a controversial sheriff. His practices have been criticized by government agencies such as the United States Department of Justice, United States District Courts, and organizations such as Amnesty International,^[42] the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Arizona Ecumenical Council, the American Jewish Committee,^[43] and the Arizona chapter of the Anti-Defamation League.^[44] The editorial board of The New York Times called Arpaio "America's Worst Sheriff".^[45] Controversial issues surrounding Arpaio have included allegations of racial profiling, in which the ACLU has sued the sheriff.^[46][47]

Unconstitutional jail conditions[link]

Federal Judge Neil V. Wake ruled in 2008, and again in 2010, that the Maricopa County jails violated the constitutional rights of inmates in medical and other care related issues.^[25][26] This ruling was a result of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU, which alleged that "Arpaio routinely abused pre-trial detainees at Maricopa County Jail by feeding them moldy bread, rotten fruit and other contaminated food, housing them in cells so hot as to endanger their health, denying them care for serious medical and mental health needs and keeping them packed as tightly as sardines in holding cells for days at a time during intake."^[48]

In a ruling issued in October 2010, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Arpaio to follow Judge Wake's 2008 ruling, which required Arpaio to end severe overcrowding and ensure all detainees receive necessary medical and mental health care, be given uninterrupted access to all medications prescribed by correctional medical staff, be given access to exercise and to sinks, toilets, toilet paper and soap and be served food that meets or exceeds the U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines.^{[49][50][51][52]}

Lack of cooperation with Department of Justice[link]

In June 2008,^[53] the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division began an investigation of Arpaio amid accusations of discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures. The investigation was conducted under the authority of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids discrimination related to programs that receive federal funds. On July 7, 2009, Arpaio held a press conference, and announced that he would not cooperate with the investigation, either by providing documents, or permitting interviews with personnel. On September 2, 2010, the Department of Justice filed suit against Arpaio,^[54] to compel his cooperation with the investigation. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department stated that it was unprecedented for an agency to refuse to cooperate with a Title VI investigation, and that this is the first time the Justice Department has sued to compel access to documents and facilities.^[55][56][57] The suit was settled in June 2011, after Arpaio allowed federal officials to interview Sheriff's office employees, and review hundreds of thousands of documents for the investigation.^{[58] [59]}

Racial profiling[link]

On December 15, 2011, the Justice Department released their findings after a 3-year investigation of Arpaio's office amid complaints of racial profiling and a culture of bias at the agency's top level. The report stated that under Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has "a pervasive culture of discriminatory bias against Latinos" that "reaches the highest levels of the agency."^[60]

The Justice Department accused Arpaio of engaging in "unconstitutional policing" by unfairly targeting Latinos for detention and arrest, and retaliating against critics.^[61] In the report, a Justice Department expert concluded that Arpaio oversaw the worst pattern of racial profiling in U.S. history.^[62]

Loss of authority to identify illegal immigrants[link]

Based on the Justice Department report on discriminatory policing practices within the MCSO, on December 15, 2011, the United States Department of Homeland Security revoked the MCSO's federal authority to identify and detain illegal immigrants.^[63]

In a separate action on December 23, 2011, U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow enjoined Arpaio and the MCSO from "detaining any person based only on knowledge or reasonable belief, without more, that the person is unlawfully present within the United States," halting anti-illegal immigration enforcement by MCSO in its current form.^[64]

Federal grand jury inquiry[link]

As of December 2011, a federal grand jury had been investigating Arpaio's office on criminal abuse-of-power allegations since at least December 2009 and was specifically examining the investigative work of the sheriff's anti-public corruption squad.^[65]

Abuse of power[link]

In February 2010, Judge John Leonardo found that Arpaio "misused the power of his office to target members of the (Board of Supervisors) for criminal investigation".^[66]

In 2008, a federal grand jury began an inquiry of Arpaio for abuse of power, in connection with an FBI investigation.^[67][68] Arpaio is being investigated for politically motivated and "bogus" prosecutions, which a former US Attorney called "utterly unacceptable".^[67][68] Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon has called Arpaio's "long list" of questionable prosecutions "a reign of terror".^[68]

The targets of Arpaio's alleged abuse of power have included:

• Phil Gordon, Phoenix Mayor^[67]
• Dan Saban, Arpaio's 2004 and 2008 opponent for the office of Sheriff of Maricopa County^[67]
• Terry Goddard, Arizona Attorney General^[67]
• David Smith, Maricopa County Manager^[67]
• The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors^[67]
• Barbara Mundell, Maricopa Superior Court Presiding Judge^[67]
• Anna Baca, former Maricopa Superior Court Presiding Judge^[69]
• Gary Donahoe, Maricopa Superior Court Criminal Presiding Judge^[67]
• Daniel Pochoda, ACLU attorney^[67]
• Sandra Dowling, former Maricopa County School Superintendent^[68]
• Mike Lacy, Editor, Phoenix New Times^[68]

As of July 2010, only Sandra Dowling has been successfully prosecuted.^[68] Indicted on 25 felony counts, Dowling eventually pled guilty to patronage for giving a summer job to her daughter, a single class-2 misdemeanor which was not among the original counts, although as part of the plea bargain she also agreed to recuse herself from the Maricopa County Regional School District. Dowling has since filed suit, alleging negligence, malicious prosecution, abuse of process and several constitutional violations.^[70]

Feud with Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Maricopa Superior Court[link]

Over the two years prior to September 2010, feuding between Arpaio and former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas on one side, and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on the other side cost at least $5.6 million, most of which was paid to private attorneys. Arpaio and Thomas filed several lawsuits against the Board of Supervisors, including a federal civil-racketeering suit against the supervisors, four judges and attorneys who work with the county. Arpaio and Thomas lost every case, either by ruling of the courts, or by dropping the case.^[71]

In early 2010, Arpaio and Thomas sought to have a grand jury indict a number of Maricopa County Judges, Maricopa County Supervisors, and employees of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. The grand jury, in an unusual rebuke, ordered the investigation ended. This action has been described as meaning that "...the case is so bad, there's no further evidence that could be brought [to substantiate it]". Legal experts agree this is a rare move.^[72] Thomas and a subordinate attorney on his County Attorney staff faced a hearing later in 2011 before the Ethics Committee of the Arizona Bar, the result of which was a number of possible sanctions up to permanent loss of their law licenses.

In November and December 2010, lawsuits naming Arpaio were filed by Judge Gary Donahoe, retired Maricopa County Superior Court judges Barbara Mundell, Anna Baca, and Kenneth Fields, County Supervisor Don Stapley, Deputy County Manager Sandi Wilson, and Susan Schuerman, executive assistant to Supervisor Don Stapley.^{[73][74][75][76][77][78]} Conley Wolfswinkel (a business associate of Stapley) filed suit in January, 2011.^[79][80] Other targets of Arpaio's investigations, including Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox,^[69] and Maricopa Deputy County Manager Sandi Wilson^[72] have filed notices of claims (the precursor to filing suit) totalling about $56 million dollars.^[72]

Election law violation[link]

During the month of July 2010, a committee established by Arpaio, the Campaign to Re-Elect Joe Arpaio 2012, funded advertisements critical of Rick Romley, a candidate in the Republican Primary for Maricopa County Attorney and Arizona Attorney General candidate Tom Horne, despite the fact that Arpaio is not currently running for re-election (his term does not expire until the end of 2012).^[81]

An order issued on the behalf of the Maricopa Elections Department on August 24, 2010, found that one of the advertisements, a direct mailer, advocated the defeat of Romley, and was an in-kind contribution to Bill Montgomery (Romley's primary election opponent), in violation of Arizona election law. The order stated that the Campaign to Re-Elect Joe Arpaio 2012 will be fined three times the amount of money that was spent on the mailer.^[82] In September, 2010, Arpaio's campaign was fined $153,978 in this matter.^[83] Montgomery ultimately defeated Romley in the primary election, with Romley stating Arpaio's ads "hurt" his results.^[84]

Misuse of funds[link]

An analysis by the Maricopa County Office of Management and Budget, completed in April 2011, found Arpaio had misspent almost $100 million over the previous 5 years.^[85][86][87]

The analysis showed that money from a restricted detention fund which could only legally be used to pay for jail items, such as food, detention officers' salaries and equipment, was used to pay employees to patrol Maricopa County.^[85] The analysis also showed that many Sheriff's Office employees, whose salaries were paid from the restricted detention fund, were working job assignments different from those recorded in their personnel records. Arpaio's office kept a separate set of personnel books detailing actual work assignments, different from information kept on the county's official human-resources records.^[86]

Arpaio used the detention fund to pay for investigations of political rivals, and activities involving his human-smuggling unit.^[85][86]

The analysis also showed a number of inappropriate spending items, including a trip to Alaska where deputies stayed at a fishing resort, and trips to Disneyland.^[86][88]

Separate investigations by The Arizona Republic uncovered widespread abuse of public funds and county policies by Arpaio's office, including high-ranking employees routinely charging expensive meals and stays at luxury hotels on their county credit cards.^[89]

The Republic also found that a restricted jail enhancement fund was improperly used to pay for out-of-state training, a staff party at a local amusement park, and a $456,000 bus, which was purchased by Arpaio in violation of county procurement rules.^[85][90]

Munnell memo[link]

In September 2010, a 63 page internal memo, written by Maricopa Deputy Chief Frank Munnell, was made public. The memo alleged years of misconduct and mismanagement by Arpaio's second in command and other top MCSO officers, including the use of a public-corruption task force to conduct politically motivated probes into political opponents. The memo alleged that top officials in the MCSO "willfully and intentionally committed criminal acts by attempting to obstruct justice, tamper with witnesses, and destroy evidence."^[91] Arpaio forwarded the memo to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, requesting they conduct an administrative investigation. Former top MCSO staffers claimed that Arpaio knew of the acts alleged in the Munnell memo, but took no action to stop them.^[92] Arpaio has not commented publicly on the allegations.

In October 2010, the US Attorney for Arizona confirmed that the FBI and Department of Justice had received copies of the Munnell memo, and were conducting criminal investigations into its allegations.^[93]

Adam Cox[link]

Adam Eugene Cox was arrested in Knoxville, Tennessee in January 2012 for making death threats against Arpaio. In October 2011, Cox posted the Internet message "I plan to kill Arpaio first. He will be filled with a thousand bullet holes before the year is out. He won't (expletive removed) with Obama." On March 14, 2012, he was convicted^[94] of harassment and sentenced to a "bootcamp" probation^[95] and ordered to pay court costs. He was also ordered to attend anger management counseling and maintain no contact with the sheriff.

Investigation of President Obama’s birth certificate[link]

On March 1, 2012, Arpaio and members of his Cold Case Posse held a news conference announcing their belief that President Barack Obama’s long-form birth certificate, released by the White House on April 27, 2011,^[96] is a computer-generated forgery. Additionally, the Posse’s six-month-long investigation included an examination of President Obama’s Selective Service card and contended that it, also, is a forgery. Much of the evidence supporting their claims was presented at that press conference and at a second press conference held on March 31, 2012.^{[citation needed]}

Department of Justice Racial Profiling Lawsuit[link]

On May 10, 2012, the United States Department of Justice filed suit against Arpaio, the MCSO, and Maricopa County, alleging that "The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and Sheriff Joseph M. Arpaio have engaged and continue to engage in a pattern or practice of unlawful discriminatory police conduct directed at Latinos in Maricopa County and jail practices that unlawfully discriminate against Latino prisoners with limited English language skills."^[97] A DOJ representative said that the agency was left with no choice but to file suit after Arpaio's attorneys balked at a demand for a court-appointed monitor to ensure the Sheriff's Office complies with any settlement terms. Arpaio has rejected the notion of a court-appointed monitor, and denied that the MCSO engages in racial profiling.^[98][99]

Election results[link]

2000 election results[link]

2004 election results[link]

2007 failed recall petition[link]

In November 2007, a group calling itself Arizonans for the U.S. Constitution and Recall of Joe Arpaio filed the paperwork to begin an effort to recall Arpaio and County Prosecutor Thomas from office for allegedly disobeying and violating the United States Constitution and abuse of power.^[101] Their petition to get a recall question for the two officials onto the next general election ballot failed when the group was unable to collect the more than 200,000 registered voter signatures required.^[102] In a survey taken by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, while the petition was in circulation, nearly three out of four respondents opposed the recall, and 65 percent of the respondents held a positive opinion of Arpaio.^[103]

2008 election results[link]

Books[link]

• Joe Arpaio and Len Sherman, America's Toughest Sheriff: How We Can Win the War Against Crime, (1996). Summit Publishing Group, ISBN 1-56530-202-8
• Joe Arpaio and Len Sherman, Joe's Law: America's Toughest Sheriff Takes on Illegal Immigration, Drugs, and Everything Else that Threatens America, (2008). AMACOM, ISBN 0-8144-0199-6

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joe Arpaio

	Arizona portal
	Biography portal
	Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

• Official Bio
• Official Election Website
• Local News Coverage of Arpaio from KPHO.com and CBS 5 News (KPHO-TV)
• Local News Coverage of Arpaio from azfamily.com and KTVK-3TV