Valley company starts production on Sheriff Joe Arpaio TV docu-series

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will be the subject of an upcoming TV docu-series, which will look at his life and the controversies around his 24 years as sheriff.

The series is being produced by Gilbert-based Rivulet Films and the start of production and filming is set to begin on June 2. Rivulet is still working on securing a distribution outlet for the series.

According to a statement from Rivulet Films, Arpaio “kept copious notes and files across his career” and he sees a TV show as “the perfect venue to present key controversial issues” over his past two decades as the head of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

“I have been blasted numerous times, especially the past several years, by biased, fake news,” Arpaio said in a statement. “Now, finally, I have the opportunity to tell it like it is whether critics like it or not.”

Arpaio, who will turn 88 on June 14, was the subject of numerous complaints of racial profiling and abuses of power. Arpaio was also found guilty of criminal contempt of court in 2017, but later received a presidential pardon by President Donald Trump.

Read more of this subscription-only story from the Phoenix Business Journal.