No Tom, it really isn't although I understand how you can come to that conclusion only looking at this one case. Wilenchik would have no power without the huge resources and publicity machine that Arpaio has created in this county. Sheriff Joe has employed this guy at many opportunities over the years to quash and abuse political opponents.

The illegal alien roundups Joe is doing really don't amount to a hill of beans. He really doesn't have the resources to truly make a dent unless he lets all the other crime issues in the county fall to the wayside. As with everything he does, he stages stunts with a keen ability to draw in the media. Believe me, the man doesn't care a lick about the illegal immigrant problem.

Unfortunately, his stunts often backfire and people get killed or property gets destroyed and this has led to a record amount of successful lawsuits against the county despite his heavy-handed legal team. Believe me, given your disgust for waste in government, were he presiding over your jurisdiction, you'd be calling for his head as well. The state Republican leaders are in a love/hate relationship with him because he's all over the board in using his popularity to stump for people they don't necessarily want in office and yet they know going against him publicly makes them victims to idiots like Lee who brand anyone not on his side as soft on crime.

It should be noted that his popularity mostly stems from stunts he does with the prisoners in his charge many of which have not been actually proven guilty of their crimes. His Tent City Jail is used by agencies in the area as a holding area for people accused of crimes while they await trial. I and many of my friends fell victim to the hype as well years back because he had the media so in his pocket and the facts simply weren't out there. Slowly though the picture started emerging of a snake oil salesman instead of a true crime-fighting professional.

The Phoenix New Times was one of the first publications to start really looking into his misdeeds and the things that they uncovered were alarming. They've since lost the main reporter that was the primary mover in these investigations and their recent stuff is nowhere near as hard-hitting and reeks of some sensationalism but what Joe and his cohorts did to them in retribution was so far over the top that it made all his previous misdeeds pale in comparison.

If you want an interesting read, look into the story of Dan Saban who's now the chief of police in Buckeye, Az. He took on Joe in the Republican primary last election and became quite the victim of the sheriff's henchmen. The story of what they did to him is chilling and yet he still took a large chunk of the vote. He may run against him again and I'd easily vote for him despite his party affiliation. He seems to be a solid and respected law enforcement leader.

Art