The difference between Mesa Police Chief George Gascon and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is like the difference between Barack Obama and Geoge Bush. Brains versus bluster. The former LAPD assistant chief is a policy wonk with a cop’s toughness. He out-classes Arpaio. Too bad Gascon isn’t our sheriff instead of what we’re…
Just in time for our blog post today about the role of the FBI in the Phoenix kidnapping crisis comes a major announcement that the FBI will focus more on the problem as part of a strategy to combat cartel violence. In a statement made today during his trip in Cuernavaca, Mexico,…
A local photographer claims a Phoenix police officer detained him for a short time and interrogated him for taking pictures of potential terrorist attack sites. In an online article on the Downtown Phoenix Journal Web site, author Chad Swaney relates the tale of William Nash-McAdam, who had taken the…
The FBI is the nation’s premier agency when it comes to kidnappings, right? Well, not in Phoenix, the so-called kidnapping capital of the country. The FBI decided years ago that it would try not to get involved when the kidnappings involve immigrants and human smugglers. Both the FBI and…
Only three people have signed up so far to run for governor, but plenty of people are thinking about it. One of those people just might be Fife Symington, says a post today by blogger Greg Patterson. Symington, if you’ll recall, is the Republican ex-governor who was sentenced to two years in prison…
As an indication of the effectiveness of Mesa Police Chief George Gascon’s testimony, Republican minority attack dogs went after him like a hunk of raw hamburger. This was after the Congress members returned from the floor of the House after a quick vote on an unrelated matter. Texas Republican Congressman Ted Poe…
When we heard that Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon’s wife, Christa Severns, filed for divorce Monday, we were convinced that finally we’d get the gossip motherlode. Surely these two hate each other now, right? Surely everybody’s just dying to throw down! Alas, no. “We are having the most amicable divorce…
Phoenix police recently arrested two kidnapping “victims” in a case that shows the challenges of investigating immigration-related crime. The incident occurred a few days ago, when police received a call about a suspected kidnapping involving a migrant, says. Lt. Lauri Burgett of the Phoenix police, who helps oversee a task force on home invasions and…
After the second panel of witnesses was seated and introduced, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren cited the Southern Poverty Law Center letter about witness Kris Kobach mentioned in my first live blog. She said she had decided to allow Kobach to speak, but noted the SPLC’s objection. The first speaker was David Harris, professor of law at University…
Standoffs, suspected kidnappers, burning bodies, high-speed chases, animal abusers — the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office sure has a lot going on. But you’ll see none of those cases on Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s taxpayer-funded Web site. You can, however, read a column by Arizona Republic writer E.J. Montini. As of today, all…
Avondale, Arizona, resident Julio Mora was the first witness for the House Judiciary Committee after it came back from it’s break for voting. Mora is a U.S. citizen. His father is a permanent legal resident. Mora was driving his father to work at HMI Landscaping in Phoenix, when his car was stopped more than…
Maricopa County motorists caught doing more than 100 mph by freeway speed cameras continue to be tracked down and arrested, even though it’s a certainty they won’t be prosecuted. County Attorney Andrew Thomas (pictured) announced late last month that he believes the law doesn’t support prosecuting such cases, and he’s…
The most lopsided statistic in the Phoenix Suns’ 5-point victory over the powerhouse Houston Rockets Wednesday night was fast-break points. The Suns had 18 and the Rockets had 4. It was run-and-gun basketball as only the Suns can do it (when their heads are in the game). But the Suns also beat one of the…
University of Arizona will hire hire Tim Floyd as the new head basketball coach for the Wildcats, Ktar.com reports. Floyd was most recently head coach at USC…Phoenix Suns General Manager Steve Kerr indicated he’ll bring Alvin Gentry back as the team’s head coach, and that some roster changes might be…
Things are just getting under way here in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building for the House Judiciary Committe’s 287(g) hearings. There’s a packed house, with plenty of representation from Arizona, including Mesa Police Chief George Gascon, civil rights activist Salvador Reza, and lawyer/activist Antonio Bustamante. California Congresswoman Zoe…
Why are Mexicans so proud of the brutality of their police force? They seem to glamorize it in all their music and telenovelas. Batons Are Bats, Or Super Oracles I’ll let you know when Dirty Harry, Detective Sipowicz, Chief Wiggum, and the producers of COPS get back to me, m’kay?…
SICK OF JOE Who is this petty tyrant?: Three articles in your March 19 edition really drive home the point about Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and (to a lesser, but still important, degree) his sidekick, County Attorney Andrew Thomas. First, if anyone in his or her right mind ever…
PUSILLANIMOUS PRELATE One of the more dramatic moments of the recent Reform Not Raids Summit in Phoenix occurred on the second day of the national conference on immigration, shortly after moderator Danny Ortega opened up the floor to a volatile debate about whether the Phoenix diocese of the Roman Catholic…
Last summer, Margarite Dale went on a spending spree. The 44-year-old Glendale mom bought two computers — a monitor, desktop, and laptop, plus a full set of software for both. Total cost: $2,409. And she didn’t stop there. In just a few weeks’ time, Dale also purchased a $709 camera…
Stepping off the plane in Washington D.C. this afternoon was like my first trip to New York many moons ago. The cab driver is Russian. The hotel front desk guy is from someplace in Africa. The room service waiter is from El Salvador. In other words, D.C. shows us to…
I paid another visit to the sad hellhole of Estrella Jail last weekend to talk to one more target of Arpaio’s ethnic cleansing raids: Alejandra Alvarez, a 31-year-old mother of four American children who was arrested during the MCSO’s raid on Handyman Maintenance Inc. this February 11. She was one…
We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times’ blogs. Today’s entries: Valley Fever: Obama on Noggin Channel for Kids is No April Fool’s…
