A federal judge has denied efforts to remove oversight of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, saying the agency continues to show racial disparities in traffic arrests of Latinos — and that there is not enough evidence that efforts to improve would stick without legal monitoring.
asserted
efforts → deny → monitoring
In his 72-page ruling issued Sept. 10, U.S. District Judge G. Murray Snow stressed Sheriff Jerry Sheridan’s role in the department’s racial profiling since the start of the case more than a decade ago, including fighting court-ordered reforms and stymieing investigations.
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Snow → issue → reforms
Sheridan was the No. 2 under former Sheriff Joe Arpaio when the county was found out of compliance with federal law.
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county → find → law
“Then Chief Deputy, now Sheriff, Sheridan in particular was found to have abused his authority over MCSO’s internal affairs process by obstructing and manipulating misconduct investigations and disciplinary proceedings — including those involving himself — to shield deputies and Command Staff from accountability and undermine the enforcement of remedies designed to address the constitutional violations against the Plaintiff class,” the judge wrote in an opinion that mentions Sheridan 30 times.
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that → find → Sheridan
The department declined to comment on Snow’s statements about Sheridan.
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department → decline → Sheridan
But the sheriff previously told Arizona Luminaria and ProPublica that he disagreed with Snow.
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he → tell → Snow
To this day, I think he got that wrong about me,” Sheridan said.
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Sheridan → think → me
In his ruling, Snow said it may no longer be necessary for the court to track some areas originally identified for oversight in the 2013 decision, recognizing the “burdens” that go into monitoring certain elements.
uncertain
that → say → elements
County leaders have repeatedly cited costs as they’ve called for an end of court oversight.
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they → cite → oversight
Maricopa County filed the motion in December, with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office later joining, arguing the violations were no longer occurring.
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violations → file → December
The yearslong federal monitorship of Arizona’s largest sheriff’s office dates back to a 2007 class action racial profiling lawsuit that found the department under Arpaio had violated the constitutional rights of Latinos in the state’s most populous county.
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department → date → county
Today, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, there are an estimated 1.5 million Latino or Hispanic people living in Maricopa County — all of whose rights are protected under the lawsuit.
uncertain
all → accord → lawsuit
In 2013, Snow ordered the department to document all traffic stops to detect any patterns of racial bias and to employ additional investigators to probe reports of deputy misconduct.
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Snow → order → misconduct
Snow also appointed a monitor to oversee compliance with the settlement.
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Snow → appoint → settlement
In the 13 years since, the department has yet to convince the judge that its deputies don’t racially profile Latino drivers and that it adequately investigates deputies’ alleged misconduct.
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it → have → misconduct
In denying the recent motion, Snow cited data showing that sheriff’s deputies in Maricopa County continue to search and arrest Latino drivers at a higher rate than white drivers, echoing the racial disparities that first led to court oversight of the department.
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that → deny → department
“Those disparities remain,” Snow added.
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Snow → remain → ?
A key part of the judge’s analysis results from traffic reports collected by the sheriff’s office.
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part → result → office
An analysis of those reports on behalf of the plaintiffs by a professor of computer science from the University of California, Berkeley approximates that Hispanic motorists are 40% more likely to be arrested than white motorists, are stopped 30% longer than white motorists and are 2.5 times more likely to be searched than white motorists.
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motorists → approximate → motorists
The responsibility is on the defendants to explain the stark disparities for Latino drivers, Snow said.
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Snow → explain → drivers
“They have failed to do so.”
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They → fail → ?
To end court oversight, the sheriff’s office must be in full compliance with the reforms continuously for three years.
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office → end → years
An investigation by Arizona Luminaria and ProPublica found that despite the monitor’s annual reviews showing ongoing racial disparities in traffic stops, Sheridan and county leaders continued to press for an end to court oversight.
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Sheridan → find → oversight
Arpaio’s wide-ranging, illegal traffic sweeps prompted the lawsuit, known originally as Melendres v. Arpaio, named for Manuel de Jesus Melendres Ortega, a legal resident who was arrested in such a sweep.
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who → range → sweep
Under Arpaio, Maricopa County became an early testing ground for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program, which lets local police enforce federal immigration laws.
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police → become → laws
Many Arizonans say abuses from that time, including profiling of Latino motorists, foreshadowed what’s playing out now under the Trump administration’s expanded use of 287(g) and its mass deportation system.
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what → say → system
The arrests of hundreds of American citizens by immigration authorities since President Donald Trump returned to the White House have prompted widespread accusations of racial profiling.
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Trump → return → profiling
In response, the Department of Homeland Security told ProPublica that agents do not racially profile or target Americans.
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agents → tell → Americans
“We don’t arrest US citizens for immigration enforcement,” wrote spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.
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McLaughlin → arrest → enforcement
The decade-plus of legal oversight of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department, criminal justice experts have said, offers insight into the difficulties of reforming law enforcement agencies charged with endemic racial bias.
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experts → say → bias
Sheridan, a Republican, was found in civil contempt in 2016 for denying knowledge of Snow’s court order to stop making illegal immigration arrests.
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Sheridan → find → arrests
Sheridan has said he was always truthful.
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he → say → ?
He inherited the settlement when he took office in January 2025.
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he → inherit → January
A 2025 evaluation by the monitor found the department complied with more than 90% of the requirements but fell short in the two areas that most directly impact Latino drivers: eliminating racial bias in traffic stops and quickly investigating allegations of deputy misconduct.
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that → find → misconduct
In trying to end federal oversight, Sheridan and county supervisors argued that racially biased Arpaio-era policies were no longer written department policy and there were few complaints of misconduct by deputies against Hispanic drivers.
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policies → try → drivers
“MCSO has reformed its policies, improved its workforce, and implemented mechanisms to assure that racial profiling never occurs.
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profiling → reform → mechanisms
This litigation has been a success, and the time has come to allow MCSO to stand on its own two feet, freed of oversight,” the county’s original motion said.
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motion → come → oversight
Since joining the Melendres case and settlement in 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice had supported Snow’s federal oversight and the reforms.
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Department → join → oversight
But with Trump back in the White House, an attorney with the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division informed the court in January that the department supported ending oversight.
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department → inform → oversight
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chair Kate Brophy McGee and Vice Chair Debbie Lesko, both Republicans, as well as a spokesperson with Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, said they were disappointed by the judge’s ruling.
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they → say → ruling
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
