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MCSO Operation Begins Without Court-Ordered Monitor

On Friday evening the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office began its first large-scale crime suppression operation in two years.

It came just weeks after a federal judge ordered sweeping changes for the agency, including oversight for these kinds of operations from a court-appointed monitor. But no monitor has been appointed yet.

So lawyers for Sheriff Joe Arpaio submitted a plan for this operation directly to the judge, with just one day's notice. Arpaio denied to reporters that this operation didn't follow the judge's order.

“Am I supposed to wait for four months because of a monitor? And not go on and enforce the law and protect the public? Should I go on vacation to Hawaii?” Arpaio said.

The Sheriff did confirm there will be a community meeting within 30 days of the operation, as is ordered by the judge in these cases from now on.

Jude Joffe-Block was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2010 to 2017.