PHOENIX (AZ Family) — In the Maricopa County sheriff’s race, Jerry Sheridan, a longtime deputy and second-in-command under Sheriff Joe Arpaio, faced off against Tyler Kamp, a former Phoenix police detective.

Although the race has not yet been called, Kamp admitted.

Sheridan will reportedly inherit a department that remains under federal oversight.

It dates back almost two decades. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office under Arpaio racially profiled Latino drivers.

It led to a federal lawsuit and ultimately mandated court oversight and reforms.

All of this comes at a cost to taxpayers: $280 million.

On Arpaio’s side, mostly, was Sheridan.

“Some of these reforms were necessary. There’s no doubt about it,” Sheridan said.

Sheridan went a step further, claiming that the judge who held him in contempt when he was chief deputy would have them back.

“He’ll be happy because he won’t have to retrain me. I already know what’s going on. I already have a plan to proceed with the court order,” explained Sheridan.

Kamp, a former Phoenix police detective, acknowledged the challenges he posed during their debate.

“It’s about rebuilding relationships and it takes work, it takes time,” Kamp said.

It will probably take time for them to catch up with the reforms.

“I suppose in theory it could. But an effective leader would come in and quickly access what’s been done and what needs to be done,” Emily Gunston, a former DOJ attorney who worked with police agencies like MCSO on compliance.

The new Trump administration will mean a new US attorney general and possibly a change in focus. How could this affect the case?

“The Department of Justice could request changes to court rulings. The court may very well be skeptical of those requested changes,” Gunston said.

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