Phoenix, AZ, March 12, 2009 ... The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed the investigations announced this week by the U.S. Department of Justice and Congress into the activities of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, and specifically, its "Crime Suppression Sweeps."

Miriam Weisman, ADL Board Chair, and Bill Straus, ADL Arizona Regional Director stated:

For quite some time, ADL has been troubled by allegations of profiling taking place as part of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office's "crime suppression sweeps."

In our letter of April 2008 to the U.S. Department of Justice, ADL asked for an outside investigation to determine the validity of those allegations.

We are gratified that the federal government is finally responding.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.