Associated Press (Arizona)
June 29, 2017
PHOENIX — A former leader of Joe Arpaio’s immigration enforcement squad testified Thursday that he didn’t believe his officers did anything to prompt a judge to order an end to Arpaio’s immigration patrols that targeted immigrants.
Joseph Sousa is the second leader of the elite squad to testify at the former Arizona sheriff’s trial. Sousa said he relayed his views both to Arpaio and to sheriff’s lawyer Tim Casey shortly after the judge issued the order in 2011.
“I don’t remember the sheriff’s response, but he didn’t say you were wrong,” Sousa said, adding that he got a similar reaction from Casey.
Arpaio, 85, is being tried on a misdemeanor contempt-of-court charge for disobeying the order and continuing the traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. He has acknowledged prolonging his patrols, but says his disobedience was unintentional.
If convicted, the former six-term sheriff of metro Phoenix could face up to six months in jail.
Sousa said he emailed Casey asking him to review proposed training materials aimed at confronting the order, but the lawyer never got back to him.
Casey testified earlier that he had several conversations with Arpaio about the order.
The lawyer said he quit serving as the sheriff’s attorney after Arpaio resisted court orders in a racial profiling case in which the 2011 injunction was issued. He also said he spotted legal problems with the training materials in question.
Sousa’s successor, Lt. Brian Jakowinicz, also was called to testify Thursday by Arpaio’s lawyers. He said he didn’t read a letter sent to him that complained about officers defying the 2011 court order.
Jakowinicz, who had been called by prosecutors to testify on Wednesday, was shown an October 2012 email from Casey with an attached letter from an American Civil Liberties Union attorney. The ACLU attorney said Arpaio’s officers were violating the order.
Jakowinicz said he didn’t read the letter. He said he had a phone call from Casey relaying concerns from opposing attorneys that Arpaio’s officers were targeting people based on race.
“I assured him that wasn’t what we were doing,” Jakowinicz said, noting he explained that his officers were pulling over people for traffic violations.
Jakowinicz said he didn’t take any actions based on the ACLU’s letter.
“All indications from him (Casey) at the time is that we have no issues,” Jakowinicz said.
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Follow Jacques Billeaud at twitter.com/jacquesbilleaud. His work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/jacquesbilleaud
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