ARPAIO enlisted in the US Army at the age of 18 when the Korean War started. Following his discharge, he became a police officer in Washington, DC and afterwards Las Vegas, Nevada. Arpaio’s career really took off when he was appointed as a Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, which later became part of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) where he served over 26 years.

For almost a decade, Arpaio covered many foreign countries when he headed the DEA combatting the drug trade, which, even by today’s standards, was highly volatile and dangerous. When he was headquartered out of Istanbul, Turkey and Mexico City he covered Turkey, the Middle East, Mexico, and Central and South America. He was also a diplomatic attaché. In his last years with the DEA, Arpaio continued to gain invaluable expertise on border issues and enforcement as the head of the DEA in the states of Arizona and Texas.

In 1992, Arpaio successfully campaigned to become the Sheriff of Maricopa County, which became the third largest sheriff’s office in the United States with over 4,000 employees. During his tenure as Sheriff, Arpaio was elected to an unprecedented six four-year terms. He consistently earned extraordinarily high public approval ratings. In fact, his 24 years as Sheriff makes him the longest serving elected Sheriff in Maricopa County, Arizona history. With over 55 years of law enforcement experience, Arpaio knew what the citizens of this county wanted.

“The only real boss I have is the public and that’s who I served,” he says.

Arpaio is proud that every year as Sheriff, he returned millions of dollars from his nearly 350 million-dollar budget back to the people/taxpayers due to his good management principles.

Arpaio had up to 10,000 inmates in his jail system. In August 1993, he started the nation’s largest Tent City Jail for convicted inmates. One half million convicted men and women served their sentences in a canvas incarceration compound. It is a remarkable and controversial success story that has attracted the attention of worldwide media and has been visited by government officials, presidential candidates, and celebrities.

Of equal success and notoriety are the male chain gangs as well as the FIRST EVER female and juvenile chain gangs in the U.S., which he initiated. These chain gangs contributed tens of thousands of dollars of free labor to the community by cleaning up the streets and helping bury the indigent in the county cemetery.

The Sheriff’s “get tough” policies in his jails are also noteworthy. For example, Arpaio banned smoking, coffee, movies, pornographic magazines, and limited access to TV in jails. He served the only vegetarian meals twice daily to inmates and they remain among the cheapest meals served in any US jail.

Arpaio’s volunteer posse, including armed members, routinely assisted the office of the sheriff in search and rescue as well as traditional police work. They also aided in special operations such as rounding up deadbeat parents, fighting prostitution, and patrolling school grounds to ward off drug trafficking and violence. Additionally, the posse patrols, which Arpaio started in 1993, patrolled the valley malls during the holiday season to keep shoppers safe from harm. The posse saved the county millions of dollars a year.

Sheriff Arpaio has been profiled in over 4,000 national and foreign newspapers, magazines, and TV news programs. Some of these media sources include “60 Minutes”, “20/20”, “Conan O’Brien”, “Stephen Colbert”, “Time Magazine”, and movie documentaries including one in production now. He has received numerous decorations and awards during his career and is also the author of two well read books, “Sheriff Joe Arpaio: America’s Toughest Sheriff”, “Joe’s Law: America’s Toughest Sheriff Takes on Illegal Immigration and Drugs,” and his new book, “Sheriff Joe Arpaio: An American Legend.”

On a personal note, Sheriff Arpaio and his wife Ava, who recently passed away, were married for over 63 years and have two children and four grandchildren and made Fountain Hills their home over 21 years ago. Arpaio constantly reminds everyone that his success in 55 years in law enforcement, and the owner of several businesses started in 1980, can be attributed to the loving and unwavering support of his wife. Arpaio continues to reside in Fountain Hills.