• The Bird on Mayor Phil and why the Fonz can't tell the world, "Fuck the police"

    April 24, 2008
  • The Bird tackles AZ's new immigration czar, Matthew Allen, while Guadalupe revolts against the MCSO's iron grip

    April 10, 2008
  • Lacey, Larkin receive award

    April 10, 2008
  • The Bird covers the waterfront on Sheriff Arpaio’s racial profiling patrols and demands freedom for First Friday bohos

    April 03, 2008
  • Head on a skewer: Joe Arpaio was so obsessed with getting a hard-charging New Times writer prosecuted that he badgered Andy Thomas into making a fool of himself

    March 20, 2008
  • The Bird pummels the MSCO, Scottsdale PD, and saves some licks for both Anonymous and Scientology

    March 20, 2008
  • The Bird catches Darrell Ankarlo butt-smoochin' Sheriff Joe again, relates the latest on the MCSO's Honduran scandal and introduces candidates vying for Candy Thomas' job

    March 06, 2008
  • New Times files a prelude to a lawsuit against Sheriff Joe Arpaio, County Attorney Andy Thomas and a discredited ex-special prosecutor on behalf of its readers and the Constitution

    February 21, 2008
  • The Bird wonders why Sheriff Joe Arpaio put a U.S. citizen behind bars for simply appearing Mexican

    January 31, 2008
  • The Bird wonders just what Joe Arpaio's top dog is doing down in Honduras

    January 24, 2008
  • Math-challenged Sheriff Joe Arpaio can’t account for the $41 million he’s cost taxpayers

    January 10, 2008
  • Flushing Them Out

    Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas are teaching the rest of the nation how to terrorize illegal immigrants

    December 27, 2007
  • Alien Nation

    Anti-immigrant sentiments are nothing new in America

    December 27, 2007
  • Our Community Under Siege

    Where do we turn when law enforcement threatens citizens like a grim force of nature?

    December 27, 2007
  • Dennis the Menace

    Arpaio's lawyer can't explain away his fudged résumé

    December 27, 2007
  • Money Shot

    If Maricopa County supervisors wanted to go after Sheriff Joe Arpaio, they could. They could focus on his office's finances

    December 27, 2007
  • Inhumanity Has a Price

    Corpses, a flesh-eating virus, the most-sued sheriff in America. Lawsuits against Joe Arpaio have cost us $41 million, so far

    December 20, 2007
  • Dead End

    Beaten, hanged, strangled, and ignored, these men and a woman lost their lives in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's custody

    December 20, 2007
  • Inmates' Rights Lawsuit Languishes

    The unresolved Hart vs. Hill suit was filed 30 years ago in federal court. It brings up the same jailhouse abuses that occur today

    December 20, 2007
  • Cyberspace Invaders

    County law enforcement's seeking more and more Web site information to mount investigations against private citizens

    December 20, 2007
  • Information Blockade

    The sheriff's made a career of stonewalling critical media — the public's right to know be damned

    December 13, 2007
  • Power Play

    County law enforcement's attack on the judiciary didn't work, but the war's far from over

    December 06, 2007
  • Siege Mentality

    County Attorney Andrew Thomas is attempting to capitalize on a national trend by attacking local judges

    December 06, 2007
  • Kentucky-Fried Joe

    The comedic kestrel makes the Joe Show in Sun City West, shares a few Joe jokes of his own, and grills state Representative Russell Pearce about his links to white supremacists

    December 06, 2007
  • Enemies List

    Paranoia aside, Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas just may be targeting you

    November 29, 2007
  • Extraordinary Contempt

    A judge describes former Special Prosecutor Dennis Wilenchik’s actions against New Times as threatening to the average citizen

    November 29, 2007
  • Wilenchik's a Liar, and There's More

    Besides personally demanding our arrests, Andy Thomas' special prosecutor sought to bankrupt New Times over a misdemeanor and lock up our lawyers

    November 15, 2007
  • He Just Doesn't Get It

    Dennis Wilenchik issued hugely invasive subpoenas to New Times without grand jury review

    November 01, 2007
  • Who's Sorry Now?

    Andy Thomas eats crow to save his political career, but wants us to apologize to Sheriff Joe. Fat chance

    October 25, 2007
  • Breathtaking Abuse of the Constitution

    Joe Arpaio, Andy Thomas and Dennis Wilenchik hit New Times with grand jury subpoenas

    October 18, 2007
  • Do Svidanya, Joe

    The vexed vulture swoops down on mean ol' Sheriff Joe, then sides with a nativist (for a change) against the mothers of MADD

    October 18, 2007
  • Pitiless P-Town

    The cranky cockatoo slams callous P-towners, pecks away at (sigh . . .) another bogus "plot" to off Sheriff Joe, and profiles the "Mexican Mutant"

    October 11, 2007
  • Vick-timization

    Backstabbing in Buckeye, DMX's doggy woes, and nativist grandstanding over Officer Erfle's murder p.o. P-town's prickly pelican

    September 27, 2007
  • Below the Belt

    Lawyer Dennis Wilenchik's spearheading Joe Arpaio's attempt to smear his chief political rival

    September 20, 2007
  • Redneck Touchdown

    The belligerent buzzard performs a postmortem on the latest immigration battles, denounces attorney Dennis Wilenchik's hypocrisy, and chases after Mayor Phil "Goober" Gordon

    July 05, 2007
  • Useful Idiots

    The pissed-off puffin paddles fellow journalists, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and an FBI monkey-spanker at U of A

    May 31, 2007
  • Mail Order Joe

    The cranky cockatoo criticizes Sheriff Joe's new jail mail policy, and agitates the agitators at last week's kooky counter-protest

    May 10, 2007
  • King of Pain

    Sheriff Joe crowns himself anti-corruption kingfish and J.T. Ready looks for race friends on Newsaxon.com

    April 26, 2007
  • How Convenient!

    The Bird asks Pinal County: Want to get somebody deserving indicted? Try Joe Arpaio underling David Hendershott, for destroying evidence

    February 01, 2007
  • Boob's Tube

    Here's how publicity hound Joe Arpaio used a TV station to try to destroy rival Dan Saban with a bogus rape claim

    January 25, 2007
  • Westcor Weenies

    This raucous raven demands: Is Westcor taking a cue from the Jim Crow South, or is io's closing really about a lame-o lease dispute?

    January 11, 2007
  • Joe Strikes Back

    This vigilant vulture crafts a Christmas card to Sheriff Joe, as the Pinal County Attorney's Office threatens to seek a felony indictment against New Times

    December 21, 2006
  • Reality Check

    Let's get this straight: Lots of voters think Janet Napolitano's a closeted lesbian, but she's against Prop 107 and gay marriage?!

    November 02, 2006
  • Bully Pulpit

    County Attorney Andy Thomas has not only steered a lot of business to his old law firm, he has hired his old boss to harass Sheriff Joe Arpaio's chief political rival

    June 29, 2006
  • The Cost of Cruelty

    A federal jury returned a $9 million verdict against Maricopa County in still another jailhouse death

    March 30, 2006
  • Judging Andy

    With leaders like Andrew Thomas, Joe Arpaio and Bishop Olmsted around, who says Arizona's a cruel place to live?!

    March 23, 2006
  • Mexican Busting

    The plumed wonder examines the racial politics of Andy Thomas, then swoops over Sharon Stonewaller and Tent City, where Shaq and a local actor were inside the razor wire

    January 19, 2006
  • Gomer, You're Fired!

    Our feathered fiend bombs Trump-haters, racist soccer moms, Uncle Joe and the ACLU. Who's gonna be next?

    November 03, 2005
  • J. Edgar Arpaio

    Sheriff Joe's fashioning himself after the late FBI director, only (we think) without the women's underwear

    October 06, 2005
  • Bird in Hand

    U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton has a rare opportunity to investigate Sheriff Joke. Will he do it?

    August 18, 2005
  • Histrionics Lesson

    Again, a judge bends over and allows Sheriff Joe Arpaio to sneer at Arizona's public records law

    August 11, 2005
  • Assisted Suicide

    A county psychiatrist's indifferent treatment of a disturbed inmate leads to a courthouse hanging

    June 02, 2005
  • Enemies List

    Arpaio haters, perceived and otherwise, beware! Looks like Joe's up to his old tricks

    April 28, 2005
  • Turn Up the Heat

    Napolitano should get behind the state's new fire marshal and force Tent City's closure

    February 24, 2005
  • Litmus Test

    County Attorney Andy Thomas must prove he can protect our constitutional rights

    February 17, 2005
  • Recall Joe!

    That's what a group led by the well-connected family of one of Arpaio's own injured deputies is working to see happen

    February 10, 2005
  • Gutless Wonders

    Here's an idea, county supes: Audit the freakin' sheriff's office for the first time ever!

    January 13, 2005
  • Dangerous Dance

    Ominous storm clouds threaten to trample the Constitution and turn our republic into a theocracy.

    November 11, 2004
  • Pariah Joe

    Dan Saban turns over materials to the FBI showing alleged improprieties by Arpaio and the MCSO.

    October 21, 2004
  • We Sue the Coward of the County

    Arpaio's ditsy chief flack Lisa Allen MacPherson tells us to take her boss to court, so . . .

    September 30, 2004
  • Say No to Joe

    Voters have the best chance ever of kicking Outlaw Joe to the curb on September 7.

    September 02, 2004
  • Jailgate Explodes

    A new poll shows Outlaw Joe Arpaio's popularity plummeting among county Republicans

    August 26, 2004
  • Special Treatment

    Is justice for sale? Ask privileged characters like Jerry Colangelo

    August 19, 2004
  • Paranoia Reigns

    Pissed at Joe's insanity, Senator John McCain makes it official: He endorses Saban.

    August 12, 2004
  • Turning Up the Heat

    There's a difference between justice and vengefulness -- something that's lost on Sheriff Joke.

    July 29, 2004
  • Outlaw Joe

    One of Arpaio's own deputies testifies about how the MCSO smeared Dan Saban.

    July 22, 2004
  • Arpaio's Running Scared

    The powerful Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona and Senator John McCain want Sheriff Joke gone

    July 15, 2004
  • Stick It to 'Em!

    The Phoenix City Council can't sanction the $350 million, city-owned convention center hotel. By law, a referendum must be held.

    July 08, 2004
  • Sheriff Joe's Real Estate Game

    Arpaio's invested $690,000 in cash in two commercial properties since 1995. Some other investment records are sealed.

    July 01, 2004
  • In the Crosshairs

    County lawmen boffing hookers isn't Sheriff Joe's only problem. Fed up with his thuggery, Arpaio's own political party has targeted him for defeat

    June 24, 2004
  • False Positive

    Is Joe Arpaio up to his same old dirty tricks? This time, a man's life may be at stake.

    February 19, 2004
  • The Trial

    Existential nightmare? Nah, just Joe Arpaio destroying a political enemy

    December 25, 2003
  • Spiked

    Sheriff Arpaio's popularity spikes

    August 07, 2003
  • Heir Apparent

    The Joe Show has finally met its match in W. Steven Martin

    June 12, 2003
  • Spiked

    Bad jokes and corporate canoodling sum up Cinco affair

    May 22, 2003
  • Gag of an Order

    New Times really hit a nerve this time. Sheriff Joe wants a federal judge to shut us up.

    March 06, 2003
  • Jailhouse Justice

    New evidence suggests Sheriff Joe's running his empire as if it were a Mexican prison

    January 23, 2003
  • Jail Bait

    A prisoner was nearly beaten to death behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. Was he set up by Sheriff Joe's henchmen?

    December 26, 2002
  • Unlikely Unabomber

    One of Arpaio's grandest busts faces a serious legal challenge

    December 19, 2002
  • Diary of a Madman, Part 2

    Joe Arpaio really has become a dangerous man

    November 14, 2002
  • Trick or Threat

    On Halloween, Joe Arpaio and his men set a new low for police harassment

    November 07, 2002
  • Goon Squad

    Sheriff Joe Arpaio has a documented history of abusing his power to destroy enemies. Now he's at it again.

    September 19, 2002
  • Garden Parties

    Campaign funds from the big house, tales from the greenhouse

    April 04, 2002
  • Torture Chamber

    Did Eric Vogel die because of another beating in Sheriff Joe Arpaio's jail?

    March 14, 2002
  • Serious Business

    If Joe Arpaio runs for governor, he'll win if people forget he's a madman

    March 07, 2002
  • Artless Redesign

    The 51 may soon become just another crappy little freeway

    February 21, 2002
  • Pay Back

    Promoter David Hans Schmidt mouthed off to the cops, the county attorney and Sheriff Joe. He believes it landed him back in jail.

    August 23, 2001
  • Spleen Man

    No guts, no glory for over-the-top PR guy

    July 26, 2001
  • Joe Arpaio's Balloon Payments

    It hasn't been cheap keeping the Joe Show aloft. Now, his employees, his inmates and the citizens of Maricopa County are paying the price.

    April 05, 2001
  • Web Feat

    Judge grants Arpaio injunction against threats

    March 15, 2001
  • High-Speed Chaste

    Will county auditors be Arpaio's Waterloo?

    January 25, 2001
  • Muck My Day

    Sheriff candidate fears dirty politics

    September 21, 2000
  • Posse Galore

    Staking out Maricopa County's wildest political race -- to unseat Sheriff Joe Arpaio

    August 24, 2000
  • Soft Cell

    Special handling for a federal prosecutor's drunken-driving case sparks controversy in sheriff's ranks

    August 03, 2000
  • Flashes 02-24-2000

    February 24, 2000
  • Per Verse

    October 14, 1999
  • Chain Reaction

    Why some inmates dig the pauper-planting female chain gang

    September 23, 1999
  • The Plot To Assassinate Arpaio

    It was a diabolical scheme. Problem is, most of it was hatched by the Sheriff's Office.

    August 05, 1999
  • Flashes

    June 17, 1999
  • Moving Target

    Vocal leader of deputy's group is candidate for dismissal

    June 10, 1999
  • Flashes

    June 03, 1999
  • Blowing His Cool

    Sheriff Joe Arpaio is trying to fire another deputy who alleges wrongdoing in the sheriff's office

    May 27, 1999
  • The Jokemobile

    May 13, 1999
  • Underwear Under Scrutiny

    FBI subpoenas Posse Foundation records of sale of pink boxers

    May 13, 1999
  • 109 Degrees of Incarceration

    County inmate Lance Hawthorne died in a cell whose vent had been closed as a form of punishment

    May 06, 1999
  • Flashes

    April 29, 1999
  • Insider Account

    One of sheriff's former henchmen tells of dubious tactics

    April 29, 1999
  • Detention Mounts

    County jails are understaffed, but there seems to be plenty of money for the sheriff's pet projects

    April 22, 1999
  • Flashes

    April 22, 1999
  • Lies and Videotape

    In an apparent repeat of its behavior in the Norberg case, the sheriff's office withheld key evidence from litigant

    April 15, 1999
  • Murder on Madison: The Norberg Remix

    Tweaker inmate who died at the hands of jailers was also a loving son

    April 15, 1999
  • Joe's Spies

    Campaign worker of Arpaio political foe targeted in surveillance

    March 25, 1999
  • Flashes

    February 18, 1999
  • Flashes

    From the week of February 11, 1999

    February 11, 1999
  • The $8 Million Victim

    Norberg family accepts hefty settlement in jail suit. Are similar payouts in Arpaio's future?

    January 14, 1999
  • Flashes

    January 14, 1999
  • Tweaking the Truth

    Sheriff's office reluctantly turns over drug report on dead inmate

    December 17, 1998
  • Flashes

    December 10, 1998
  • Fed Up

    The Justice Department investigates the county sheriff's officeagain

    December 10, 1998
  • America's Toughest Suspects

    Is Sheriff Joe's pink underwear in Bureau's drawer?

    December 03, 1998
  • Affidavit Versus Goliath

    A former lieutenant accuses top sheriff's officials of misconduct in firing of "dime dropper" deputy

    November 26, 1998
  • Flashes

    October 22, 1998
  • Billion-Dollar Bad Guys

    The county's jails are crammed full. But not with the dangerous felons backers of an initiative to raise money for new jails would have you believe.

    September 24, 1998
  • Premature Articulation

    Sheriff spokeswoman spoke too soon

    September 17, 1998
  • Sheriff's Cover-up?

    Lawyer for dead inmate's kin accuses county of "intentional destruction" of key evidence

    September 10, 1998
  • Flashes

    September 03, 1998
  • Paying the Price

    The sheriff's not talking, but records reveal that taxpayers are spending big bucks to defend controversial jail operations

    August 27, 1998
  • Flashes

    July 16, 1998
  • High Goon

    July 16, 1998
  • Shield of Dreams

    Memo to Romley from Arpaio: You don't need no stinkin' badges!

    July 09, 1998
  • Flashes

    June 04, 1998
  • Flashes

    May 14, 1998
  • Flashes

    April 30, 1998
  • Flashes

    April 16, 1998
  • Undie-Gate

    Public shouldn't see Posse Foundation records, judge rules

    April 02, 1998
  • Gulag-Rolling

    January 22, 1998
  • Hog-Tied by the Truth

    For the second time, a federal investigator has found appalling conditions in the county jails

    January 15, 1998
  • Flashes

    November 27, 1997
  • Doubting Thomas

    Tom Bearup helped elect Joe Arpaio and mold the myth of "America's Toughest Sheriff." Now the former executive in the Sheriff's Office is convinced he was wrong.

    November 06, 1997
  • U.S. Lawsuit Realleges Abuse in Jails

    November 06, 1997
  • Joe, Jane & John

    October 30, 1997
  • Iceland 5, Arpaio 0

    Iceland supreme court unanimously opposes grandparents' extradition to county jails

    October 23, 1997
  • Flashes

    October 23, 1997
  • Flashes

    September 25, 1997
  • Human Plights

    International group urges immediate stop to Arpaio jail practices

    September 18, 1997
  • Blind Ambition

    August 28, 1997
  • Flashes

    July 31, 1997
  • Keeping 'em in Stitches

    Crohn's disease sufferer Damon Dreckmeier was sentenced to 111 days in the county jail. Denied a few dollars' worth of daily prescription medication, he was rushed to the hospital five times, undergoing two surgeries. Taxpayers will pay for his treatment,

    July 24, 1997
  • Flashes

    July 17, 1997
  • Public Pays in Jail Death

    County pays $50,000 in case of inmate who committed suicide while jailers watched a video of Sheriff Joe Arpaio

    July 17, 1997
  • Nice Land

    Icelandic judge stays extradition, saying Arpaio's jails violate standards of humane treatment

    July 10, 1997
  • Say It Ain't Joe

    June 12, 1997
  • A Hoss-Style Witness

    May 29, 1997
  • Joe Assumes Deposition

    Arpaio tries to distance himself from pronouncements about punishing inmates

    May 29, 1997
  • Arpaio Über Nicht

    May 22, 1997
  • Flashes

    March 27, 1997
  • Flashes

    March 20, 1997
  • Flashes

    March 06, 1997
  • Flashes

    February 20, 1997
  • Flashes

    February 13, 1997
  • Jailers Show a Paraplegic Who's Boss

    Richard Post was taken to jail in his wheelchair for mouthing off in a bar. Joe Arpaio's detention officers saw him as such a threat, they strapped him into a medieval restraint chair--and broke his neck.

    January 23, 1997
  • Jail Suits Could Cost County Taxpayers Tens of Millions

    January 23, 1997
  • Flashes

    December 26, 1996
  • Flashes

    December 19, 1996
  • Flashes

    December 12, 1996
  • Letters From Jail

    December 05, 1996
  • Drear Diary

    December 05, 1996
  • Flashes

    December 05, 1996
  • Barbarism As a Public Relations Strategy

    December 05, 1996
  • A New Apparatchik in Joe's Politburo

    November 28, 1996
  • Bagels and Locks

    Complaints about tainted food and inmate abuse pour forth in wake of Tent City riot

    November 28, 1996
  • Flashes

    November 21, 1996
  • There's No Accounting for Joe's Posses

    Sheriff thumbs nose at Public Records Law, refuses to disclose how posses collect and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars

    November 14, 1996
  • Sanitized for Joe's Protection

    Sheriff's summary of probe into inmate's death omits alarming details

    October 24, 1996
  • Young and Arrestless

    Law enforcement neophyte narrowly fails to make ballot; will continue write-in campaign against Arpaio

    September 19, 1996
  • Hangin' With Sheriff Joe

    Two inmates commit suicide in the space of a week; feds had warned Arpaio of unsafe "overhanging structures"

    August 22, 1996
  • First Pink Underwear, Now Pink Slip

    Sheriff Arpaio intends to fire a patrol sergeant who allegedly talked to the press

    August 15, 1996
  • The Shadiest Guns in the West

    When it comes to ethics, some of Sheriff Joe's top aides take after their boss

    June 27, 1996
  • Flashes

    June 27, 1996
  • Flashes

    June 20, 1996
  • Flashes

    June 13, 1996
  • Tent City Beating is Nearly Fatal

    June 06, 1996
  • Death and Laxness

    If the jailers had paid attention, they might have noticed that Jose Rodriquez was dying

    June 06, 1996
  • Arpaio Tries to Plug Leaks

    Sheriff's Office suspends, transfers officers suspected of talking to New Times

    May 23, 1996
  • Mutiny At The County

    Sheriff Arpaio's deputies say his vaunted posse does little more than waste money and slake their boss's thirst for publicity

    April 25, 1996
  • Flashes

    April 18, 1996
  • Grave Misgivings

    Why some people don't dig Sheriff Arpaio's chain-gang pauper burials

    April 04, 1996
  • Flashes

    March 21, 1996
  • Tepid Response Force

    The county attorney promises to get to the bottom of Sheriff Arpaio's spending--by asking for a state audit that was already scheduled

    February 22, 1996
  • Joe Enhancement Fund

    Sheriff Arpaio used jail-enhancement funds to pay for a lawsuit and videos of hisTV appearances

    February 08, 1996
  • Sentence: 90 Days of Pain

    Jail inmate with 50 bullet fragments in arm waits months for medical treatment

    December 07, 1995
  • NEWS BLACKOUT

    September 21, 1995
  • FEDS PROBE ALLEGED ABUSE IN COUNTY JAILJOE ARPAIO'S FAMOUS JAIL IS NOW THE SUBJECT OF A JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATION INTO POSSIBLE CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

    August 31, 1995
  • FLASHES

    August 23, 1995
  • JOE ARPAIO'S TENT CITY

    January 20, 1994
  • JAILHOUSE BLUES

    PACK 'EM IN AND TAKE AWAY THEIR RIGHTS. THAT'S SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO'S PHILOSOPHY

    November 24, 1993
  • WHAT PART OF A HORSE'S ANATOMY IS JOE ARPAIO?

    November 24, 1993

Citizens Killed

While Incarcerated

Animals Killed
  • Dog Day Afternoon

    Sheriff Joe's goons launched an assault to make a misdemeanor arrest. The Raid left a burned house, a terrified neighborhood and a dead dog

    August 05, 2004
    Justin Delfino looked out the window of his Ahwatukee home and couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was shortly... More >>
Feathered Bastard
By Stephen Lemons
Read the latest on Sherrif joe

For close to 15 years, Phoenix New Times has reported on Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's serious abuse of power. The self-described "Toughest Sheriff in America" was once Arizona's most popular politician. But his popularity is plummeting, as the public finally takes note — after reelecting him three times — of horrendous jail conditions, reckless police operations, and personal vendettas against political rivals.

Target Practice

  • Flushing Them Out

    Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas are teaching the rest of the nation how to terrorize illegal immigrants

    December 27, 2007
    Daniela's world is very small. Though she was born in Mexico and traveled thousands of miles to Phoenix, she might never... More >>
  • Alien Nation

    Anti-immigrant sentiments are nothing new in America

    December 27, 2007
    Though Arizona is considered ground zero for the current debate surrounding illegal immigration, this is not a new fight.... More >>
  • Our Community Under Siege

    Where do we turn when law enforcement threatens citizens like a grim force of nature?

    December 27, 2007
    County Attorney Andrew Thomas has not issued a single grand jury subpoena in the wake of the fallout from my arrest and... More >>
  • More Target Practice >>
Jail Conditions
Wasting Money
Politics and Paranoia

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