MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — As candidates for county sheriff prepare for their second debate Wednesday night, a civil rights attorney said he was the first candidate to defeat Republican Jerry in the first debate earlier this month. – Criticizes the statements made by Sheridan.

In a Sept. 12 PBS debate, Sheridan said he “refused” a judge's order regarding training for deputies 10 years ago and suggested he would do so again in the future.

“The judge… asked me to discipline some of my members, about 45 of them, for a policy that didn't exist when they made the policy, and I refused,” Sheridan said. he said. “I think the people of this county want a leader who is not afraid to do the right thing when the right thing needs to be done, and if that doesn’t sit well with a federal district judge, Even if you suffer from it, that's okay.”

ACLU Senior Counsel Kristin Wee is representing the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit. Mr Wee said he had read Mr Sheridan's full comments during the debate.

“This is very worrying for the plaintiffs,” Wee said. “First and foremost, this tells us that Jerry Sheridan believes he is above the law and that his orders will be ignored again in the future.”

Sheridan was Joe Arpaio's chief executive for the last seven years of his career. During the civil rights case, a federal judge found Sheridan in civil contempt of court and accused him of lying under oath. A series of findings during the lawsuit led to court-ordered reforms that cost the county more than $350 million.

An independent review upheld the judge's findings, and Sheridan is now on Arizona's Brady List, which keeps the names of police officers with questionable credibility.

If elected, Sheridan would be in a position to guide the MCSO through a court order that remains pending. Sheridan said he believes he is ready for the job “from day one.”

Mr Wee said Mr Sheridan's comments showed he was prepared to defy the court again.

“Certainly, law enforcement officials can appeal if they disagree, but I did not interpret Jerry Sheridan's statement that he would not abide by the judge's ruling that way. That is highly unusual. That's very worrying,” Wee said.

After the Sept. 12 debate, reporters asked Sheridan about comments he made in which he said he rejected the judge's orders.

Mr. Sheridan said he did not remember saying anything on stage about defying the judge.

Sheridan said he was probably referring to an incident in 2013 where he was videotaped calling a judge's order regarding a traffic stop “rubbish.” Asked to further clarify whether he intends to violate the Constitution if he disagrees with the justices' opinion in the future, Sheridan said he would not answer questions from 12News.

After the debate, Mr. Sheridan's opponent, Democrat Tyler Kampf, said Mr. Sheridan's comments about judges differentiate the two candidates.

“He's the reason I decided to run for sheriff in the first place,” Kampf said. “He was the one who defied the court's orders and that's why we're in this mess.”

The second debate is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. Viewers can watch the debate on the 12News app or on the 12News YouTube channel.

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