Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio 'profiled' Hispanics, says judge

The office of an Arizona lawman who styles himself America's toughest sheriff improperly targeted Hispanics in routine patrols for undocumented immigrants, a federal judge has found.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was sued by a group of Hispanic drivers who said his deputies relied on race when choosing whom to stop.

The ruling was handed down on Friday, eight months after a seven-day trial.

The case was brought by a Mexican tourist stopped outside a church where day labourers were known to congregate and subsequently detained for nine hours, the Arizona Republic reported.

He and others who sued Mr Arpaio alleged he ordered some immigration patrols based on citizens' complaints about brown-skinned people congregating or speaking Spanish.

Mr Arpaio's office has also been sued by the US justice department, which accused his office of multiple civil liberties violations, including punishing Hispanic jail inmates for speaking Spanish.

BBCuk link to story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22664299