After my mentally ill brother was arrested for injuring a police officer during a welfare check, he was held in the Maricopa County jail in downtown Phoenix.
Hoping that the judge would sentence him to mental-health intervention, I sat in the family waiting room of the jail. The room was clean, with adequate seating and a courtroom video monitor. I waited there with people of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds.
We all had one thing in common: We cared deeply about the fate of a loved one who was in trouble with the law. Skin color and educational level were irrelevant: We shared a human bond of empathy that transcended superficial differences.
Thanks to the policies and programs of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the staff treated us with dignity and respect. His no-nonsense approach to law enforcement reduced crime and provided discipline, justice and protection for incarcerated individuals. When he applied the same common-sense approach to the enforcement of immigration law, he was blamed and framed, persecuted and prosecuted, by opportunists who seemed to value political shaming over public safety.
I am grateful for the presidential pardon of a worthy public servant who should have been commended rather than convicted.
Cynthia L. Hafen
Springville