Military’s decison leaves Arpaio in a convertible instead of a tank for Phoenix Veteran’s Day Parade
Nov 11, 2014, 8:10 PM | Updated: 8:10 pm
PHOENIX — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is no stranger to riding in parades in the Valley during his career in office.
Tuesday was no different, but the vehicle that he was riding in at the Phoenix Veteran’s Day Parade was. And the sheriff didn’t seem happy about it.
Arpaio and his wife, Ava, were riding in a Chrysler convertible. When asked about what he thought of the ride, Arpaio implied that it wasn’t his first choice.
“I had to give up my tank. They took it away, the military,” he said.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office had a tank because of the federal 1033 program. It’s a military program that allows for the transfer of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies, which do not have to pay anything to get it.
The federal government took the tank away after the MCSO was dropped from the program in September because it lost nine weapons.
Arpaio said not having the armored vehicle doesn’t bother him, and he insisted that another one is in his future.
“That’s all right. I’ll get another one,” he said, although not identifying how he will make that happen.
