A long-running racial profiling lawsuit against the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Court-appointed agency monitors hope to hear people's current thoughts on the Sheriff’s Office during a meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Sunnyslope Community Center.
Raul Piña is a longtime member of an independent, compliance-oversight board.
He said people should learn the history of the case launched against former Sheriff Joe Arpaio over the traffic stop of Manuel de Jesus Ortega Melendres.
“I think Melendres is especially important now in this climate of mass deportations,” Piña said.
A spokesperson says Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, Arpaio’s former chief deputy, will be at the meeting.
Sheridan made a last-minute request to postpone a similar meeting in Guadalupe over expected protests, but was denied.
Piña said the move by Sheridan did not build community trust.
“The sense we get now is still sort of wait and see. See how things evolve. See how things develop with the sheriff.”
Piña recently told KJZZ’s The Show that he thinks the Sheriff’s Office still lacks commitment to accomplish court-ordered reform.
