Dateline: Sept 10

Dateline tonight investigates the far-right Sheriffs infiltrating US policing.

What does this mean for a country on the cusp of a historic election, and could this influence the outcome?

It’s election season in America, from local mayors, sheriffs and members of Congress all the way up to the White House – and the nation could not be more starkly divided.

In the battleground state of Arizona, a fringe group of right-wing sheriffs is injecting itself directly into this political maelstrom, vowing to pick and choose which laws to enforce in their counties and override the nation’s courts, legislatures and even the president.

“We seem to be getting less and less and less freedoms because of the tyranny of the federal government enacting all kinds of laws,” said Jerry Sheridan, who’s running on the Republican ticket to become the next sheriff in Maricopa County, America’s fourth largest with a population over four million.

He’s pledged to be what’s known as a ‘constitutional sheriff’.

Critics argue these sheriffs are selectively interpreting the constitution in order to defend their anti-federalist, ultra-conservative vision of America. But Sheridan, and others who follow the ideology, believe the sheriff has ultimate authority within their county.

If elected sheriff in November, Sheridan says he will push back against everything from gun safety laws and environmental protection laws to public health mandates.

9:30pm tonight on SBS.