According to the Maricopa County Sheriff Office, Sheriff Joe Arpaio will be visiting New York this weekend sort of.
Arpaio says that as a young boy, he often visited New York City from his native Massachusetts. Although in 1950, as a veteran of the U.S. Army and on weekend pass, he d visited NYC and Times Square, he did not imagine that one day his image might be projected on a huge billboard overlooking Times Square.
But it is – as of this weekend. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio will be featured on a 120 foot by 84 foot LED electronic billboard towering over NYC’s Times Square welcoming Super Bowl fans to the valley and asking all who visit to obey all laws while enjoying sunny Arizona.
No public tax money paid for the public service announcement. The billboard, one of the largest in the world, is slated to run this weekend and through the Super Bowl Sunday, and was provided by Branded Cities Network, a company owned by a friend of the Sheriff’s.
Arpaio said the offer of the billboard came at a good time. With Super Bowl 2015 estimated to bring in over a million visitors from out of town for one massive party/celebration, Arpaio’s message encourages all to be mindful of obeying the law while simultaneously enjoying themselves at the game and all the events surrounding the 2015 Super Bowl.
“Any other time, and this billboard might have seemed out of place,” Arpaio says. “But safety and security is foremost in the collective mind of all law enforcement in the Phoenix metropolitan area during this big event. This message, I hope, will reinforce to visitors and citizens alike that we expect them to obey the law while they are here or while they are enjoying the events surrounding the Super Bowl.”