On May 10, 2012, the US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (“DOJ), Special Litigation Section, filed this lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 14141 (Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994) and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The DOJ filed the suit in the United States Court for the District of Arizona, Phoenix Division. The defendant is Maricopa County and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department. The United States is requesting injunctive and declaratory relief that Maricopa County engages in a pattern or practice that unconstitutionally discriminates against Latinos. Specifically, the United States is alleging that Maricopa’s police practices single out Latinos and fail to provide constitutionally required services for Latinos under Maricopa County’s control.

In September of 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Maricopa County under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for the Sheriff’s Office’s failure to comply with an DOJ investigation into the targeting and unconstitutional treatment of Latinos (PN-AZ-2) (Docket #: 2:10-cv-01878). Maricopa County settled the lawsuit in June of 2011, and agreed to cooperate with the DOJ investigation.

On December 15, 2011, a findings letter reporting the result of the investigation was issued by the DOJ. The letter found that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) was engaged in an unconstitutional pattern of policing. The DOJ alleged that MSCO profiles Latinos, and unlawfully stops, detains, and arrests Latinos. The DOJ also found that services in the Maricopa County Jail for people of limited English proficiency are sub-par or nonexistent. The DOJ found that these problems are underscored by the lack of policy or procedure to ensure constitutional policing. This lawsuit followed.

This case is ongoing. As of this writing (5/15/12), the Defendants have yet to file an answer.

Blase Kearney - 05/14/2012


compress summary