Trial to begin in lawsuit against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio

PHOENIX - A trial will begin on Thursday in a class action lawsuit waged against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his policies.

Plaintiffs, including Latinos who claim they were harassed by deputies, say the sheriff is engaged in a campaign of racial profiling.

They say deputies engage in traffic stops and crime suppression sweeps based on skin color instead of wrong doing.

The American Civil Liberties Union along with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and pro-bono law firm Covington and Burling LLP are representing the plaintiffs.

The trial is expected to last seven days and will consist of round after round of questioning of Sheriff Arpaio and other top MCSO officials.

No money is being sought by the plaintiffs.

Instead, they want to see policy change within the sheriff's office.

A decision could be rendered soon after the trial ends, or several months from now.