
One of the longest serving lawmen in the country is doing battle with the Justice Department. Joe Arpaio is sheriff in Maricopa Country, Arizona which includes Phoenix and Scottsdale. The federal government says they will sue the controversial sheriff to force him to accept federal oversight of his department. CBS News correspondent John Blackstone tells us why. In his latest battle with the US Department of Justice over alleged civil rights abuses, Sheriff Joe Arpaio remains defiant. "I sure don't want to be known as a nice guy," he said. "I'm not a social worker, I'm a cop." The 79-year-old has been in office since 1982. Many who have gone through his jails, including his desert tent city where inmates wear pink underwear, have long accused Arpaio of violating their rights. But it's his department's treatment of Hispanics that prompted federal officials this week to demand an independent monitor. "Are they going after this sheriff?" asked Arpaio. "Well we know why, because hey don't like me enforcing illegal immigration law." A three-year investigation by the Justice Department found what it called "unconstitutional policing" and "a pervasive culture of discriminatory bias against Latinos" who are up to nine times more likely than whites to be stopped by a Maricopa County deputy. Blackstone asked Arpaio if it is enough to appear Hispanic to be suspected by one of his deputies. "I'm an equal opportunity guy," he replied. "We lock everybody up. It doesn't matter what <b>...</b>
I'm a cop