Sheriff Joe Arpaio put out a press release today, in part explaining the reason that every MCSO deputy will be getting an automatic weapon.

"More and more illegal aliens are attempting to escape which places my deputies in dangerous positions," Arpaio's press release says. "In the near future I will be issuing automatic weapons for all my deputies."

The Sheriff's Office points to a pair of "short vehicle chases through the desert" as evidence of the escaping illegal immigrants.

In one case, the MCSO says deputies tried to go after a speeding car, but that car ended up going even faster, then going off-road, through a fence, and into some desert area in the southeast Valley.

About a mile after the tires went flat, all eight people in the car bailed, but they were caught.

In the other instance, Human Smuggling Unit detectives caught some guys in the act, loading up a car with marijuana. After a chase that ended "a short distance later," MCSO says six people were eventually arrested, and the Valley's now short 120.5 pounds of weed.

Well, the buck stops here. Auto weapons for everyone.

Note to self: don't get a speeding ticket in Fountain Hills.

Arpaio's press release can be found below:

Arpaio Auto Weapons