A national group of sheriffs that claims its authority supersedes that of the state and federal government has spread its ideology to dozens of states in recent years, in part by gaining state accreditation for its taxpayer-funded law enforcement training. Reporters from the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication gained exclusive access to this controversial law enforcement training, hosted by former Arizona sheriff and CSPOA founder Richard Mack. They spoke to sheriffs, constitutional law experts, state officials and community residents across the nation to assess the group’s expansion and what that means for democracy.
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TJ L’Heureux is an investigative journalist with the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
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Albert Serna Jr. is an investigative journalist with the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
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Anisa Shabir is an investigative journalist with the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism
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Brendon Derr is a Roy W. Howard Fellow for AZCIR as part of a year-long investigative reporting fellowship.
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Isaac Stone Simonelli is a Roy W. Howard Fellow for AZCIR as part of a year-long investigative reporting fellowship.
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