Arizona’s most famous legal man, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, is celebrating his 91st birthday. By all appearances, he’s holding up well. For those of us who have followed him over the years, it was the old Joe who greeted a grand ballroom full of friends and well-wishers on Saturday night. They gathered at the Italian-American Club in Phoenix to celebrate their 91st anniversary.cent Birthday of “America’s toughest sheriff.” In addition to me and Prescott eNews editor Anita Cohen, Republican activists Ed Kocuola, Brooks Compton, and Chris Campbell attended on behalf of Yavapai County.
Photo: Sheriff Joe and Republican activist Brooks Compton
Over the 24-year, six-election cycle from 1993 to 2017, no law enforcement figure has gained more publicity and had more impact on Arizona’s political culture than Joe Arpaio. Tent cities, chain gangs, immigration roundups, and prisoners in pink underwear are fed two meals a day. Arpaio has become a pop culture icon. Love him or hate him, no one is more influential.
The story of Joe Arpaio is the story of America. Born into a poor family of Italian immigrants, he attended public schools in Springfield, Massachusetts. After graduating, he enlisted in the military, doing what many doomed patriotic working-class kids did in his 1950s. He trained as a military policeman and found his future.
His civilian career began in 1957 as a street police officer in the District of Columbia. In 1960, he became a special agent with the Federal Drug Administration, which later became the Drug Enforcement Administration. Over the next 25 years, he advanced in overseas assignments in Argentina, Turkey and Mexico. He ended his career in Arizona as a special agent for the DEA overseeing federal drug enforcement efforts.
By the time Arpaio was elected Maricopa County Sheriff in 1993, he was one of the nation’s top experts in drug smuggling and interdiction. Over the next 24 years, he developed the persona of “America’s toughest sheriff” and became one of the most charismatic and media-savvy figures in Arizona politics.
I witnessed the power of the brand at President Trump’s airport rally in Mesa in late October 2018. Arpaio lost his bid for a seventh term as sheriff in 2016. After years of litigation in federal court over his immigration policy as a sheriff, U.S. District Judge Murray Snow found him guilty of criminal contempt. Arpaio was facing a possible prison sentence when resident President Trump granted a full pardon in August 2017.
I had just won the LD1 Republican primary for re-election to the state legislature and received a coveted VIP ticket to the rally. I was sitting in the same section as former Governor Jan Brewer. Governor Doug Ducey and other top politicians in the state were also staying nearby. But it was Sheriff Joe who caught the attention. President Trump gave him a big shout out. There was a line for photos and autographs. No one shouted for the attention of the governor or other dignitaries. Arpaio reigned as a national hero. The only two real celebrities at the Mesa rally that night were President Trump and Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Photo: Sheriff Joe singing “I Did it My Way”
Saturday night 91cent Birthday parties were celebrations of love by any standard. This was her RSVP event by invitation only, so I won’t mention her name. However, elected officials were well represented, both incumbent and former. Many friends, former colleagues and political allies filled the hall. Joe spent half an hour singing his signature cover of Sinatra’s classic, “I Did It My Way,” taking pictures and signing autographs. he looked great. his voice was strong. “America’s Toughest Sheriff”. still in game.
