The Department of Homeland Security is cutting ties with an Arizona sheriff accused of a wide range of civil right violations.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has always been fond of saying he’s accountable only to the voters.

But the U.S. Department of Justice took the first steps Dec. 15 toward making Arpaio answer to the federal government after unveiling the results of a civil rights probe that one investigator described as “the most egregious racial profiling in the United States.”

Federal authorities plan to announce their findings Thursday in a civil rights investigation of an Arizona sheriff's office accused of using discriminatory tactics in its signature immigration patrols.

Roughly 100 opponents of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio turned out at a meeting of Maricopa County officials Wednesday to urge the officials to call for his resignation amid reports of botched sex-crime investigations and other problems in his department.

A special committee of the Arizona Legislature devoted to examining border security will meet Dec. 20 to get an update on a project to build additional fences near the state's border with Mexico through donations.

The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission is considering a handful of changes to its legislative map, including proposals that would add another competitive district.

More than 400 sex-crimes reported to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office during a three-year period ending in 2007 a�� including dozens of alleged child molestations a�� were inadequately investigated and in some instances were not worked at all, according to current and former police officers familiar with the cases.

Maricopa County has decided to push back against the multi-million dollar contributions the state has forced it and four other counties to provide during the past three fiscal years to help fill holes in the budget.

Officials in Maricopa County accepted $2.2 million in reimbursement from the federal government for the costs of jailing illegal immigrants convicted of a felony or two misdemeanors in violations of state or local laws.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is set to endorse Texas Governor Rick Perry for president. ABC News reports Arpaio plans to campaign with Perry in New Hampshire next week.