Professor Charles Calleros was interviewed by Phoenix television stations on Thursday, July 19, at

Charles Calleros

the start of the racial-profiling trial in U.S. District Court against the office of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The plaintiffs in the civil case, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, allege that Arpaio’s officers based some traffic stops on the race of Hispanics in vehicles and had no probable cause to pull them over and inquire about their immigration status.

During an interview with Channel 3 reporter Javier Soto, Calleros explained that the ACLU’s primary claim is that sheriff’s deputies violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Two other claims, based on the Fourth Amendment, also are involved, he said.

“Proving purpose, proving intent, proving policy is a difficult thing,” said Calleros, who teaches constitutional law and civil rights law. “The plaintiffs will have to show some kind of internal memos or reactions to racist complaints that suggest the sheriff’s office had a policy, an intent to discriminate.”

To watch the report, click here.

In a studio interview with Channel 12 anchor Lin Sue Cooney, Calleros talked about the role of the defense attorneys. "They will try to show that the sheriff's deputies were engaging in activities that were within reasonable police activities, certainly not singling out Latinos, but trying to suppress crime," he said.

"The trial is expected to last into early August.

To watch the report, click here.