You probably know him as "America's Toughest Sheriff", a name given to him by the media years ago. It's a name he certainly has earned as the head of the nation's fourth largest Sheriff's Office.
Using unorthodox, but very effective tactics, Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County Arizona has earned the respect of citizens and inmates alike.
These are some of his more creative policies,
On August 3, 1993, he started the nation's largest Tent City for convicted inmates. Over 2000 convicted men and women serve their sentences in a canvas incarceration compound. It is a remarkable success story and has garnered the attention of government officials and media worldwide.
He has the cheapest meals in the country too. The average inmate meal costs under 20 cents; and the inmates are charged for them.
He does not allow inmates to smoke or read pornographic magazines. Only "G" rated movies are allowed.
No weightlifting for prisoners. If you want to exercise, you can work.
He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. He then started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination.
He took away cable TV until he found out there was a federal court order that required jails to provide cable TV for inmates. He had cable installed, but only allows Disney and The Weather Channel.
He plays the Newt Gingrich lecture series for the inmates on a regular basis. When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by Democrats, he replied that a democratic lecture series might explain why a lot of the inmates were in his jails in the first place.
Has a volunteer "Sheriff's Posse" of over 3200 members
Because of Arpaio's immense popularity (85% approval rating), citizens have united in a partnership with law enforcement to an unprecedented degree.
Visit The Home Page of Sheriff Joe Arpaio