Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's lawyers urged an appeals court to reverse a ruling that barred his deputies who are enforcing Arizona's immigrant smuggling law from detaining people based solely on the suspicion that they're in the country illegally.

A group says it has collected nearly 100,000 online petitions signatures from across the country to demand that federal authorities prove their allegations that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office has committed a wide range of civil rights violations.

An April 14 deadline has been set for lawyers for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the U.S. Department of Justice to complete their attempt to resolve allegations that the sheriff's office has committed a wide range of civil rights violations.

Lawyers for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the U.S. Department of Justice are meeting Monday in Phoenix in a bid to resolve allegations that the sheriff's office has committed a wide range of civil rights violations.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's top aide said Tuesday that the sheriff accepts responsibility for hundreds of sex-crimes investigations that were inadequately investigated and Arpaio started working to clear up the backlog once the problem was reported.

An employee appeals hearing is scheduled to continue Monday for a top aide to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio who was fired for allegedly lying about his involvement in a group that gave money for an advertisement attacking the sheriff's 2008 opponent.

Retired Phoenix police officer Paul Penzone announced Tuesday that he'll challenge Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in November.

Federal officials say they're willing to negotiate and discuss ways to reform the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which has been accused of a wide range of civil rights violations.

Former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas plans to file closing arguments Tuesday in an attorney discipline case against him.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is appealing a federal judge's ruling that prohibited his deputies from detaining people under Arizona's immigrant smuggling law based solely on the suspicion that they're in the country illegally.