Sheriff Joe Arpaio hits Hollywood for screening of documentary about him

PHOENIX — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was in Hollywood on Wednesday to see himself on the big screen.

He’s there to see the documentary film, “The Joe Show,” at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. “The producer, Randy Murray, invited me,” Arpaio said.

He said that Murray has told him that he may be walking the red carpet at the Chinese Theater on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Arpaio joked that walking the red carpet is no big deal — “I have red carpet in my office,” he said.

Film crews followed Arpaio for eight years. He admitted that he doesn’t like the movie. “It shows about 32 minutes of negative situations that go way back in history,” Arpaio said.

The sheriff will take questions from the audience after the movie. “Whatever they ask me, I’ll try to be honest,” Arpaio said.

He said that he did not attend recent screenings of the film at the Scottsdale Film Festival because he thought protesters would show up and cause a disruption. Arpaio said he usually draws protesters when he appears in California.

“It kind of died down somewhat,” he said, “but let’s see if they show up there. It may be a test to see if they still are concerned with the way I operate my office.”