Sign petition to remove Arpaio from office

by David Safier

A petition, Remove Sheriff Joe Arpaio from Office, currently has 2,108 signatures, with a goal of 3,000. Here is the text of the petition:

Sheriff Arpaio has failed to fulfill his obligations as Sheriff of Maricopa County. We call upon the U.S. Department of Justice to intervene and hold Sheriff Joe accountable for his failure to serve and protect these victims.

Over a three-year period ending in 2007, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, headed by self styled "Toughest Sheriff in America" Joe Arpaio“ ignored or inadequately investigated over 400 sex crimes, many including reported child molestation, with victims as young as two years old. In the small Arizona community of El Mirage alone, at least 50 – 75 sex abuse cases (including over 32 child molestation reports) were never resolved. Victims of abuse, especially vulnerable children, are entitled to the protection of local law enforcement and deserve to have their accusers brought to justice. It is unconscionable that Sheriff Arpaio has allowed such a gross miscarriage of justice to take place under his direction. Under Sheriff Joe Arpaio's watch, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has allowed hundreds of reported sexual abuse crimes, including dozens of alleged child molestations, to be mishandled, inadequately investigated, or outright ignored. Law enforcement officials are sworn to serve and protect the public and victims of abuse are entitled to justice under our legal system.

An op ed in the Republic Sunday, Help us gain bipartisan momentum to oust Arpaio, goes into greater detail.

After you sign the petition, you can email a link to friends.