Sheriff Joe Arpaio became Citizen Arpaio today.
The Arizona Sheriff retired on Monday after 24 years of service.
.@JohnHookfox10 and I stopped by to see Sheriff Joe Arpaio on his last day in the office. Thank you for 24 yrs of service to Maricopa Cty pic.twitter.com/uV8qXTXfKi
— Troy Hayden (@troyhaydenfox10) December 30, 2016
Arizona Central reported:
On Jan. 1, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio relinquishes the star that made him a star and becomes Citizen Joe Arpaio.
Few elected officials can boast a quarter-century of tenure, even those with spotless reputations. Arpaio’s legacy was tainted by multimillion-dollar lawsuits arising out of jail deaths, political prosecutions and racial profiling that led to criminal contempt-of-court charges.
Despite the scandals, that star on his chest remained bright and shiny for an adoring, if shrinking, constituency charmed by his bumper-sticker slogans about enforcing the laws and deporting illegal immigrants and making bad guys pay for their crimes, and by his gimmicky pink underwear and chain gangs and Tent City.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio posted this tweet thanking his supporters on December 31, 2016.
Want to wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2017. Thank you citizens of Maricopa County and those around the country for your support
— Joe Arpaio (@RealSheriffJoe) January 1, 2017