MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — As candidates for county sheriff race prepare for a second debate Wednesday evening, a civil rights attorney is criticizing comments made by Republican Jerry Sheridan during the first debate that took place earlier this month.
During the PBS debate on September 12th, Sheridan said he “refused" a judge’s order regarding training of deputies a decade ago, and then suggested he would do it again in the future.
“The judge… wanted me to discipline some of my deputies, about 45 of them, for policies that didn’t exist when they did it and I refused to do it,” Sheridan said. “I think people in this county want a leader that is not afraid to do the right thing when the right thing needs to be done. And if that is disagreeing with a federal district court judge and suffering the consequences of that, well, so be it.”
ACLU Senior Attorney Christine Wee represents the plaintiffs' class in the class-action lawsuit. Wee said she viewed Sheridan’s full comments during the debate.
“This is very concerning for the plaintiffs,” Wee said. “First and foremost, this tells us Jerry Sheridan believes he is above the rule of law, that orders will be disregarded again in the future.”
Sheridan was Joe Arpaio’s top chief for the last seven years of his career. During the civil rights case, a federal judge found Sheridan in civil contempt of court and accused him of lying under oath. A litany of findings during the case resulted in court-ordered reforms that have cost the county more than $350 millino.
An independent investigation upheld the judge’s findings and Sheridan is now on the Arizona Brady List which keeps names of officers with credibility issues.
If elected, Sheridan would be in a position to guide MCSO through court orders that remain unresolved to this day. Sheridan said he believes he will be prepared “on day one” to take the job.
Wee said Sheridan’s comments signaled to her that he is prepared to defy the court again.
“Certainly, law enforcement personnel can file an appeal if they disagree, but that’s not how I interpreted Jerry Sheridan’s statement that he would disobey a judge’s ruling. It’s very unusual and very disturbing,” Wee said.
After the September 12 debate, reporters asked Sheridan about his comment in which he stated he refused the judge’s orders.
Sheridan said he did not remember saying onstage he defied the judge.
Sheridan said he was likely referring to an incident in 2013 in which he was video-recorded calling the judge’s order regarding traffic stops as “crap.” Asked to further clarify if he would be willing to violate the constitution if he disagrees with a judge in the future, Sheridan said he would not answer questions to 12News.
Sheridan’s opponent, Democrat Tyler Kamp, said after the debate that Sheridan’s remarks regarding the judge are what set apart the two candidates.
“He is the reason why I decided to run for sheriff to begin with,” Kamp said. “He was the one defying the court’s orders and that’s why we’re in this mess.”
The second debate is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. Viewers can watch the debate on the 12News app or on the 12News YouTube channel.
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