5.8 Earthquake in LA

[SpaceGhost]

CITY, STATE ANNUAL % AVG POSSIBLE SUNSHINE NO. OF YEARS OF DATA

YUMA, AZ 90% 42

REDDING, CA 88% 10

LAS VEGAS, NV 85% 47

PHOENIX, AZ 85% 101

TUCSON, AZ 85% 53

COLUMBUS, OH 50% 45

 

So Jon your theroy of 200 days of clouds is a little off, it's more like 182.5, I'll take Phoenix with 101 years of data that show 85% sunny days. That's 310.5 Sunny days a year. I go there a lot and love it. Sheriff Joe Arpaio is the shit.

 

Greetings from Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the elected Sheriff of the 6th largest county in America. Bigger than the state of New Jersey, Maricopa County covers nearly 9,200 square miles and is home to the state capital, Phoenix, and to 3.8 million citizens. We are called “The Valley of the Sun” and we are a vibrant southwestern U.S. metropolis which is currently experiencing a population growth rate second to none in the nation.

 

The tremendous growth in our county has caused my organization to increase in size nearly 100 percent in the 15 years since I was first elected into the Office of the Sheriff. Today, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has nearly 4,000 employees, 3,000 volunteer posse members and 10,000 inmates.

 

I have been in law enforcement for over 47 years now. It is the life I chose and the life I love. Hard work and good fortune have led me to positions across the globe. I served as a regional director with the United States Federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the Middle East, Turkey, Mexico and Central and South America. I retired with the DEA as its Director in Arizona.

 

It was a career filled with many positive and challenging experiences for me, my wife of nearly 50 years now and my two children. However, looking back, I can honestly say that nothing can compare with being an elected Sheriff of a large county like this.

 

Per our state constitution, the elected Sheriff is the chief law enforcement official of the county. As such, I report directly and only to the citizens who I serve. Because I am elected, I have the freedom to represent the will of the people without the burdensome constraints of bureaucracy and politics. Since my election into office in 1992, I have been dedicated to the oath I took to protect and serve the citizens.

 

Once elected, approval by his constituents gives a Sheriff the ability to apply his or her own distinct philosophy about right and wrong.

 

My approval numbers here in Arizona have constantly hovered around the 75 – 85% range which allows me to establish with confidence, innovative programs to benefit the community, inmates, and their families.

 

My enforcement and jail program philosophies are all geared to be tough on crime and those who commit crime. Overall, it is my belief that a person who commits a crime should be held accountable and face the consequences of their actions. In direct terms, they should receive just punishment for their lack of responsibility and discipline. Specifically in the county jail system which I manage, it is my belief that inmates should never live better behind bars than the outside in free society. Therefore I maintain an austere system with no frills and have implemented programs to curtail recidivism.

 

My programs include lessons specifically designed to develop, educate, train, and increase the self-esteem of the men and women who have entered the criminal justice system as a result of abuse including physical, emotional and chemical (drugs). Some of the programs that focus on women inmates include the female chain gang, Animal Safe Hospice (a no kill shelter for abused pets run and maintained by female inmates), Girls Scouts Beyond Bars (a unique partnership between the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the Arizona Cactus-Pine Girl Scout Council bringing incarcerated mothers and their young daughters, together in a Girl Scout Troop setting in jail). Activities in this particular program focus on character and self-esteem building through various social activities to educate and develop leadership skills. The program was originally developed by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and ours is the first jail in the country to implement this model.

 

We also have a “Read to Me Mommy” literacy aide program, Better Parenting Skills classes, Women Healing Ever New or “WHEN” – (designed to break the cycle of criminal behavior), and Developing Individual Growth and New Independence Through Yourself or “DIGNITY” – a specific program designed to help prostitutes overcome their destructive lifestyles choices.

 

I also have inmates who volunteer for chain gang duty. Men and women serve on chain gangs performing community service by cleaning roadways and parks. It is my belief that keeping our communities clean is a worthwhile task for inmate chain gangs and inmate work details to perform. Where there is opportunity to pitch-in and clean up, they do. Massive cleanup operations using this free heavy labor are the norm for this Sheriff's Office.

 

In my enforcement authority, I have dedicated a unit of deputies and resources to round up and hunt down “Dead Beat Parents” – those with outstanding warrants for not complying with their court ordered child support payments. I mobilize my volunteer posse to patrol the major shopping areas during the holiday season to keep shoppers safe from thugs. I have a specialized unit of deputies to fight the surge of illegal immigrants coming into this county and have put hundreds of illegals in jail for breaking the law of illegally entering the United States. I also routinely conduct operations aimed at underage tobacco and alcohol sales. And I have specialized deputies who investigate animal neglect and cruelty cases and take the offenders to jail. I am always seeking ways to use my elected position as Maricopa County Sheriff to further benefit all members of this community - young and old, rich and poor, two legged and four.

 

I am referred to as “The Toughest Sheriff in America.” That’s fine but I like to think of myself and my employees as some of the most forward thinking law enforcement professionals in the industry. We do a lot of good things here in Maricopa County and many of them are cutting edge. And while I do enjoy a high approval rating by the citizens who reside here, being free to think and act “outside of the box” which being elected allows me to do, can sometimes draw criticism. That’s ok. After 15 years as Sheriff and with several more years ahead of me (I hope), I would rather be criticized for doing what I think is right for this community than playing politics simply by playing it safe.