A recently released audit report produced in a racial profiling case against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says Hispanics are more likely to be searched and arrested by sheriff's deputies in traffic stops than whites.
The report studies the effects of changes ordered nearly four years ago after a judge concluded officers of then-Sheriff Joe Arpaio had racially profiled Hispanics in immigration patrols.
The study examined traffic stops from July 2015 through June 2016, near the end of Arpaio's 24-year tenure as sheriff. Its findings were released last week.
The agency's response to the report is expected to be discussed at a court hearing Wednesday.
Arpaio's successor, Paul Penzone, is developing plans for confronting the problems identified in the report.
Penzone's office declined to comment on the report.
