Operation Dodging Daddies: Sheriff Joe rounds up deadbeat parents

[Catshrink]

PHOENIX -- The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is going after deadbeat parents this weekend as part of an annual operation.

"If you're going to have kids, you should probably have some type of responsibility to raise those kids properly," Sheriff Joe Arpaio said at the command post he set up at Park Central Mall in Phoenix.

More than 100 deputies and volunteer posse members brought in dozens parents accused of not paying child support. All of those parents -- 27 men and six women -- were taken straight to jail.

At least four of the 33 so-called deadbeat parents brought in Saturday owe more than $100,000 in back child support.

“I know families are struggling more today than in years past,” Arpaio said in a news release. “But a tough economy is no excuse for a mom or dad to ignore their financial obligations to their children. Kids come first, no matter what.”

Of the child-support warrants issued, the worst offender owed almost $175,000. It's not clear if that person was picked up during Saturday's operation.

http://www.azfamily.com/outbound-feeds/yahoo-news/Sheriff-Joe-rounds-up-deadbeat-parents-96733404.html

[davidinalameda]

1. hate to admit it but he is right

good for Sheriff Joe

[SoCalDem]

8. He's "right", BUT

I'm guessing that most non-custodial parents skip the child support payment part because they cannot afford to pay it. I have never met a parent who deliberately decided to not pay to help raise their child. Parents often do not think through the facts that incomes that barely met the cost of living when all were under one roof, will certainly not meet the needs of TWO households.

Locking someone up who cannot pay, does not generate money for the custodial parent, and may harm children from a "new" family.

I don't have a solution, and I know how infuriating it is when "Dad does not pay child support", because I have many friend whose exes were "non-payers", but locking Dad up was not something they ever seriously wanted..

[davidinalameda]

17. you need to get out more

I've come across plenty of non-custodial parents who refuse to pay

it's called being an asshole to your kids

[SoCalDem]

20. Perhaps my divorced friends are of a higher caliber than yours

:evilgrin:

[blueamy66]

28. I'm with you.

Everything is NOT black and white.

Some custodial parents are just vengeful.

If I had a child out of wedlock, I would not go after the other person for cash. If they don't want to see the kid or be in the kid's life, why should I force them?

If you choose to keep the child, get a job, pay the bills and be an adult.

Sheriff Joe is a piece of shit.

Can't wait to read the responses to this....

[davidinalameda]

29. trash is trash no matter where you go

:evilgrin:

[Darth_Kitten]

26. You're kidding, right?

There are many parents who VERY deliberately don't contribute to the support of their children. They are beyond pathetic.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. If I was behind on my child support I think I'd be living somewhere

other than on Sheriff Joe's turf.

[Catshrink]

3. Sheriff Joe likes to round people up.

[discocrisco01]

4. Sheriff Joe

At least Sheriff Joe is doing something productive for once

[Taitertots]

5. Seems like the best way to get money from someone is to ensure they have no means to earn money

Putting the worse offender in jail is certain to prevent his children from ever getting any of their child support.

How many of those people who owe $100,000 are actually above the poverty line?

[Catshrink]

6. It's like a debtors' prison

Sheriff Joe likes headlines.

[Taitertots]

11. Even worse, the State just unilaterally declared they owed more than they could pay

Now they are throwing them in jail, which will ensure that they can never pay it. All the while pretending that this will make the children better off.

[customerserviceguy]

13. It is debtor's prison

and when its a credit card company that is owed money by a person who cannot get a job, we all seem to feel sorry for that individual.

Yes, parents owe their kids their child support (I always paid mine) but some times, in some really lousy economies, it just can't be done.

[grasswire]

7. how many are unemployed?

Looks like Joe wants to run up a big bill for taxpayers -- custody for dads on Father's Day.

[Jkid]

9. That is a good question

The real question is that how many people are low-income people?

[Taitertots]

10. How many could afford $100,000 if they wanted to?

Just an excuse for Crazy Joe to lock some poor people away for being poor.

[hedgehog]

12. When it takes two working adults to support a single household,

how are the two adults supposed to support two households?

It's a problem with no easy answers. I can see the custodial parent needing every penny and the non-custodial parent left with nothing after paying child support. Neither is having a great time.

[grasswire]

14. that very dilemma is yet to be examined, I think

The whole sociological aspect of what no-fault divorce, child support laws, and duality of resources hasn't been openly discussed, AFIK. To say nothing of the effect on housing prices, energy, and on and on!

And then there's the dynamic where a blended family is both paying child support and receiving child support, and a whole grapevine of intertwining happens! Mary and Joe divorce. Joe marries Penny. Mary marries Ed. Joe is paying support to Mary for children. Ed is paying support to two moms for children by them. Penny is receiving support from Paul. And when the custodial parents don't remarry, or when people with no children marry parents with children, the path of the resources becomes blurred.

Yikes! All this is only made worse by unemployment and economic uncertainty.

[Mojeoux]

15. Wages can be garnisheed in a pre-determined manner.

This guy is a show boat.

I hate dead beat Dads and Moms, but this guy can't use my rage.

This sheriff is a fool.

If he really cared he'd work with judges in family court.

These people will be re-leased and they'll go through the family court anyway.

From the kid's point of view, this is humiliating.

[EFerrari]

21. Exactly. This is happening to my brother.

He makes over $100k a year, his ex doesn't work, they have three girls. He can't even afford to rent an apartment right now. It's insane.

[meowomon]

16. As Long as he's going after deadbeat parents and not undocumented workers, I'm ok with it!

[dsc]

18. with some very rare exceptions

people whose circumstances change but have judges who refuse to adjust orders, it is nothing short of despicable for these parents to refuse to pay. Maybe some jail time will shake some money from their pockets.

[Ikonoklast]

23. And what if they have no money to shake?

But if sitting in jail helps manufacture money out of thin air, I'm all for it.

This just points out how archaic and punitive child-support judgments can be...you just can't get blood from a stone.

As a one-time custodial parent of three minor children whose ex paid NOT ONE SINGLE PENNY of court-ordered support, I still find that jailing people instead of a civil remedy of garnishing wages, tax returns, attaching assets, etc. to be asinine.

[dsc]

24. they only do jail after all of the above don't work

It isn't like you forget to pay for a month and you get arrested.

[RB TexLa]

19. By using a gender specific term in the name he shows he's also a sexist piece of shit

[Joanne98]

22. The man is pure evil!

[NNN0LHI]

25. This guy is a real media whore. He has to have an 'operation' for everything?

Why doesn't he just do his job and shut the fuck up?

Don

[MyNameGoesHere]

27. What a frigging moron.

You garnish the wages, prevent them from renewing drivers license, and intercept tax returns. Locking them up just gives them a real excuse to say,I am broke and can't afford it. sheriff asshole Joe gets it wrong again.