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History and law enforcement background
Arpaio was born Joseph M. Arpaio in Springfield, Massachusetts on June 14, 1932, to Italian parents both from Lacedonia , Italy. [ 8 ] Arpaio's mother died while giving birth to him , and Arpaio was raised by his father, a grocery store owner. Arpaio completed high school and worked in his father's business until age 18 when he enlisted in the United States Army . [ 9 ]
Arpaio served in the Army from 1950 to 1954 in the Medical Detachment Division and was stationed in France for part of the time as a military policeman. [ 10 ]
Following his discharge in 1954, Arpaio moved to Washington, D.C. and became a police officer, moving in 1957 to Las Vegas, Nevada. He served as a police officer in Las Vegas for six months before being appointed as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics , which later became part of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). [ 11 ] During his 25-year tenure with the DEA, he was stationed in Argentina, Turkey and Mexico, and advanced through the ranks to the position of head of the DEA's Arizona branch. [12]
In 1992, Arpaio successfully campaigned for the office of Maricopa County Sheriff. The voters of Maricopa County re-elected him in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. [ 13 ]
Arpaio married his wife Ava in 1958. Together, they have two children and four grandchildren. [ 14 ] They currently reside in Fountain Hills, Arizona . [ 15 ]
