Maricopa County Sheriff Joseph Arpaio has an interesting way of going after illegal immigrants.
According to plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit, Arpaio and his deputies have routinely stopped, harassed and questioned U.S. citizens and people legally in this country in his constitutionally questionable search for illegal immigrants.
If the allegations are true, it is an appalling abuse of law enforcement power. And if that is the case, Maricopa County taxpayers probably will be shelling out even more money as Arpaio continues his costly term in office.
A federal lawsuit filed in December claims Arpaio's office is improperly targeting Hispanics to investigate their immigration status. The suit claims deputies use unfounded traffic stops, racially motivated questioning and baseless arrests in the hunt for illegal immigrants.
Last week, four U.S. citizens joined the suit, claiming they were mistreated because they are Hispanic. In one case, a brother and sister said deputies stopped them in front of their Phoenix business and forced them out of their car at gunpoint.
In another, a husband and wife said deputies demanded to see a Social Security card from them, but not from white drivers.
A Mexican man legally in the country said he showed deputies his documents when he was stopped. Nonetheless, they locked him up and turned him over to federal officials, who immediately released him.
This is not the first time that Arpaio's methods of identifying illegal immigrants seemed questionable. He recently told the Chicago Tribune, "We know how to determine whether these guys are illegal - the way the situation looks, how they are dressed, where they are coming from."
The man who calls himself "Sheriff Joe - the toughest sheriff in America" has been a costly sheriff as well. The Arizona Republic reported that the Sheriff's Department has paid out more than $30.5 million in verdicts and claims to defendants and their attorneys since Arpaio took office in 1993.
And Arpaio's focus on illegal immigration has meant less time spent on other investigations.
The East Valley Tribune reports slow response times for emergency calls, falling arrest rates, rape victims' complaints not being investigated and excessive overtime costs because of time spent chasing suspected illegal immigrants.
Arpaio denies he is racial profiling, but the numerous allegations cast doubt on those denials.
Such tactics are an embarrassment to law enforcement authorities who observe constitutional protections and are an affront to the Arizona and to the American justice systems.