PHOENIX -- Sheriff Joe Arpaio took another step in his quest to lure Valley police officers away from their departments to join his force.

Arpaio, convinced the officers are frustrated by their departments' lack of commitment to fighting illegal immigration, hopes to tempt officers with the prospect of arresting illegal immigrants. Arpaio's deputies are trained to enforce federal immigration laws and are the only agency enforcing all aspects of Arizona's human smuggling laws, according to the sheriff.

In September, Arpaio placed a banner above the entrance to his Fourth Avenue Jail that said, "Become a deputy sheriff. Help Sheriff Joe Arpaio fight illegal immigration."

This week, Arpaio replaced the banner with an 8-by-12-foot sign on the doors of the jail. The sign shows a pair of hands bound with pink handcuffs, along with the statement, "Help Sheriff Joe Arpaio fight illegal immigration. Become a deputy sheriff."

Arpaio said about 250 police officers enter the jail through those doors every day as they bring in an average of 300 prisoners daily for booking.

Arpaio said he's already had a record number of lateral transfers from local police agencies.