Perhaps the highest-profile sheriff in the United States in recent years has been no-nonsense Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz.
Nicknamed simply "Sheriff Joe," he has gained widespread admiration for refusing to coddle jail inmates and for taking strong stands against illegal immigration.
But now the U.S. Justice Department is accusing Arpaio's office of "civil rights violations." The Justice Department alleges that the sheriff's office was too aggressive in its immigration patrols and engaged in "racial profiling."
We're in no position in Tennessee to judge whether a sheriff or his deputies are guilty of violating civil rights in Arizona. But we do know that Arizona has suffered more than most states from the influx of illegal aliens. The state's taxpayers must pay high costs to provide health care and other benefits to those who have come to the United States unlawfully, and the federal government has been reluctant to uphold its duty to enforce immigration law fully.
And so, while Arizona's efforts to fight illegal immigration should obviously be humane, it is perfectly understandable that they would be firm.
We also have to view with skepticism allegations of "civil rights violations" by the Justice Department. Attorney General Eric Holder recently likened sensible modern-day requirements that voters have photo ID to repressive Jim Crow-era laws that ended decades ago. So we're not sure that his department's judgment on civil rights is always sound.
At any rate, if there is evidence that Arpaio's office has violated the civil rights of people in Arizona, let the government present it and let the legal process move forward.
Meanwhile, the office should enjoy the presumption of innocence.