A recent Arizona Public Opinion Poll reveals some very interesting facts about the court-ordered imposition of federal oversight over the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
BACKGROUND:
In 2013, a lawsuit, Melendres v. Arpaio, was brought in federal court against the Maricopa County Sheriff Office alleging that racial profiling was being carried out against Hispanic drivers, which constituted a violation of their constitutional rights. The court ruled against the sheriff’s office and imposed some rather strong requirements aimed at monitoring and discouraging conduct that can be regarded as discriminatory. Those requirements are still being enforced thirteen years later, at great expense to the Maricopa County tax payers.
SUPPORT FOR CONTINUING OVERSIGHT IS STRONG:
The poll found that a plurality of voters either strongly support or somewhat support the continuation of the federal oversight. But a significant portion of those polled indicated that they are not sure. Here is what a chart of the poll results looks like:
MONETARY CONSIDERATION:
Over the last decade, the cost of carrying out this policy has cost Maricopa County tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars. When the cost of the program is introduced, the enthusiasm for continuing oversight wanes rapidly. While people may agree in theory that this type of oversight is a good thing, they change their minds in a hurry when they are made aware that there is a high cost associated with it, as illustrated in this chart:
CONCLUSION:
What this shows very clearly is that people favor continued oversight if someone else pays for it, but not so much when they are the ones footing the bill the bill.