A new poll finds Maricopa County voters' support for ending federal court oversight of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office largely depends on cost.
The Arizona Public Opinion Pulse Survey asked nearly 600 Maricopa County voters about MCSO oversight. In 2013, a federal judge found sheriff's deputies violated the constitutional rights of Hispanic people by racially profiling them in traffic stops and immigration enforcement. He appointed a monitor to make sure MCSO complied with court orders — oversight that has lasted more than a decade.
When told the oversight stemmed from a judge's ruling related to law enforcement practices at the time, 43% of voters polled supported it, 27% opposed it, and 30% were not sure.
But cost played a big role in voter sentiment. When poll respondents were told the oversight has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over the past decade, 73% said oversight had gone on too long and cost taxpayers too much.
However, that cost estimate has been disputed. MCSO says the cost of compliance has exceeded $300 million, but an audit ordered by the federal court concluded the cost was about $62 million.
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