Sheriff deputies use Phoenix light rail to transport inmates
[Source: KSWT/Associated Press] – The Phoenix area’s new light-rail trains have begun transporting prisoners who are flown in from out of state from the airport to downtown Phoenix. Armed Maricopa County deputies and Sheriff Joe Arpaio himself accompanied the first prisoner, a woman wanted for felony and forgery, on the light rail to downtown last night. The woman covered her face when local news media surrounded her with microphones and television cameras.
Arpaio says taking prisoners from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to his headquarters in downtown will save about $72,000 a year in airport parking fees. But a airport spokeswoman says all law-enforcement agencies in the state that are transporting inmates can park at the airport for free. Arpaio maintained his office pays $27 a day to park at the airport and won’t stop taking inmates on the light rail until he gets written verification that parking is free. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
