2016 NJ State PBA Convention – Phoenix, Arizona
Strong words from
‘America’s Toughest Sheriff’
From the time Sheriff Joseph Michael Arpaio started his
speech by revealing that he makes the inmates in his jail wear
pink underwear, he spent much of the next 20 minutes telling
members at the NJ State PBA Convention not what they wanted
to hear but what they needed to hear.
The PBA asked the renowned “Sheriff Joe” to speak because
the convention was held in Maricopa County, Arizona, where he
has been sheriff since 1993. And “America’s Toughest Sheriff” de-
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NEW JERSEY COPS
■ OCTOBER 2016
livered some messages that resonated with members, and that
would resonate with all union law enforcement officers.
“You guys are cops, not millionaires,” he started in one of his
observations. “You work on the street and protect the public. You
are working people. It’s a tough job, but you see a video of a cop
grabbing someone and they’re calling the DOJ, the mayor, the
chief and they want somebody fired over a video. They will take
the word of a video. That’s the environment we have to live in.”
Sheriff Joe did entertain a little bit, relating that his toughness
was founded in his native Springfield, Massachusetts, which he
proudly pointed out is also the home of Smith & Wesson. He told
about going through basic training at Fort Dix and meeting his
first love when on a weekend pass in the city of Passaic.
“I was 18 and her name was Angela Fazio,” Sheriff Joe disclosed. “I gave her a ring, went overseas to fight in the Korean
War, and when I came back she gave me the ring back. So I went
to (Washington) D.C. to become a cop. And I married a woman
who sold brassieres. That’s what I remember about New Jersey.”
After nearly 55 years in law enforcement, the 84-year-old Arpaio said that the only gut feeling he has developed is to not try
to worry about everybody and everything. Perhaps that is what
enabled him to procure the endorsement of “working cops” in
past elections, adding that, “I don’t know about the chiefs, but
I’m a big backer of the (Phoenix) Police Association.”
Sheriff Joe continued that he has built his tenure as sheriff
on some simple promises, one of which has been getting tough
in the jails. He supported this stance by saying in response to a
certain second-string NFL quarterback sitting down for the national anthem in protest, he made his inmates were uniforms
adorned with the American flag and stand up when he had the
anthem played every morning.
He said he is very proud of having hired 150 veterans during
the past two years, and he left PBA members with a final motivational thought:
“I’m sure you have critics out there, and that’s why your organization is very important,” he began. “I supported the Phoenix
police union on their pension against my own party because it
was the right thing to do. We have to have a partnership, not be
an adversary. We need people who have worked the streets, who
know how to make an arrest, who know what it is really like out
there. You have to fight for your benefits. That’s why you guys are
very important, so don’t be afraid to speak out.” d