When the Gilbert Police Department got word that the town’s mayor, Steve Berman, may have somehow hit or injured a member of his family earlier this week, its police chief immediately turned over the domestic violence investigation to another police agency to avoid “any appearance of a conflict.” But in doing so, the chief appears to have turned handed it to one of Berman’s closest political allies, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
In fact, Berman and Arpaio, both Republicans, appear shoulder-to-shoulder in a photo on the mayor’s campaign website. On the same site, Berman even has a note that Arpaio penned for him declaring him “a real mayor and good for Gilbert” (see the photo above).
So is this a conflict? Neither Arpaio’s office nor Berman will comment today. But Arpaio’s opponent in upcoming sheriff’s election, former Buckeye police Chief Dan Saban, thinks so.
“I would say, on its face, it does appear to be another conflict in a long series of conflicts,” said Saban. Arpaio “has a long history of supporting those who support him.” Saban, a Democrat, pointed to recent sheriff’s investigations, such as the agency’s ongoing inquiry of Democratic state Attorney General Terry Goddard, as evidence of politically-motivated cases.
And Saban, who lives in Gilbert, said the town’s police Chief Tim Dorn, who is a former sheriff’s deputy, should have asked some other agency to investigate the case. Dorn told the Tribune yesterday he handed the domestic violence investigation to Arpaio because MCSO has jurisdiction over the entire county. But, Saban said, any police agency in the state could have handled the investigation. “Tim Dorn could have gone to anybody” Saban said. “He could have asked Flagstaff PD to investigate it if he wanted to.”
For now, though, the details of the investigation remain a mystery until the sheriff’s office releases them. Even the identity of the supposed victim remains secret. Arpaio was coy yesterday when asked about the case and gave few details. “Someone asked us to take this over,” he said. “We’re going to look into it.”
nothing will be done as long as Arpaio has the case. after all, the man is not hispanic. and he is a friend.