Court: Maricopa County Must Continue With Overhaul Of Jail Internal Affairs Operation

Published: Thursday, August 2, 2018 - 12:06pm

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Maricopa County must proceed with an overhaul of its internal affairs operations at the county jail.

The move upholds a judge’s earlier decision that investigations were fraught with biased decision-making.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a U.S. district court Judge didn’t abuse his powers in ordering the July 2016 overhaul.

Judge Murray Snow had ordered changes after he found then-Sheriff Joe Arpaio in civil contempt of court for disobeying an order in a racial profiling lawsuit. The county appealed the overhaul ruling, arguing Snow had complete “editorial control” over new internal affairs policies, and that the election of Arpaio's successor, Sheriff Paul Penzone, made some changes unnecessary.

It also said the overhaul's financial costs would burden taxpayers. But the appeals court cited a past decision that found that financial constraints don't let states deprive people of their constitutional rights.