What is black and white and pink all over? Hint -- they reside in tents. Give up?
OK, it's Sheriff Joe's undistinguished inmates. It's official: our crazy sheriff is back for more.
On Sept. 7 Joe Arpaio again won the Republican primary en route to his fourth term as sheriff, defeating former Mesa police commander Dan Saban.
Most notably, he won the primary no longer having the support of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Arpaio is now the heavy favorite to win in the November general election.
The self-proclaimed, "toughest sheriff in America," is finally waning in popularity. A chain of events that will eventually drive the 72-year-old out of office is gaining steam in the form of an oncoming lawsuit.
The notice of claim (the precursor to a lawsuit) filed by attorney Larry Debus alleges that eight former inmates endured, "indignities, vermin infestation, spider bites and mistreatment," and seeks $2.7 million in damages.
So now what?
The circus is wearing off; he's become less of a bad ass and more of a narcissistic Clint Eastwood. This became clearer after aging country crooner Glenn Campbell's jailhouse concert during his 10-day sentence.
The city's most vocal critic of Arpaio is Phoenix New Times columnist John Dougherty for whom the sheriff seems to have no answers regarding everything from sweetheart deals to special privileges and jails (known as the Mesa Hilton) for the rich and famous.
Dougherty writes: "Ar-paio conned the public when he put up a facade that the singer was sweating out his 10-day jail sentence, stemming for a DUI conviction, in notorious Tent City. Campbell actually served his time in the Mesa Hilton. Rather than wearing stripes and sweltering in a tent jammed with stinky dudes sleeping on double bunks...He was even allowed to bring his guitar, cell phone and a therapeutic mattress to his private suite."
Campbell wasn't the first pseudo-celebrity to go to jail and surely won't be the last. We're still waiting for the long-term results on what a stirring rendition of "Rhinestone Cowboy" will do to deter drinking and driving.
The concert made national headlines for Arizona and Arpaio. Pictures showcased lethargic inmates watching Campbell perform, surrounded by stacks of hay and a sound system. In retrospect the concert accomplished nothing other than generating cheap press.
It was easy to fall under the Arpaio spell. He seemed to take a bigger bite out of crime than McGruff. He became our modern day hero. He put evil lawbreakers in their place, degrading them with pink undergarments, jailbird stripes and food he wouldn't give his dog.
Even those who have yet to be convicted of a crime.
But it's jail, it shouldn't be fun. But what if two-thirds of the inmates weren't convicted? What if they sustained injuries and lesions from spider bites? What about the cost of settling these potential lawsuits, including the insurance deductibles?
Not to mention the national embarrassment that was the failed prostitution sting, a strained relationship (putting it nicely) with County Attorney Rick Romley and endless publicity stunts. This represents a level of corruption that could only be rivaled by the Catholic Archdiocese.
On Sept. 7 we missed our opportunity to put him to pasture to live out his John Wayne fantasies. Despite his looming re-election, Dougherty will be the man that brings him down.
Then Sheriff Joe will have to live out his cowboy and Indian fantasies like normal men -- deer hunting from a tree stand instead of wasting taxpayer money creating his own version of the Wild West.
Kim Taylor is a journalism senior. Reach her at Kimberly.a.taylor@asu.edu.
