Tempe

The sheriff for metropolitan Phoenix says he won’t enter the Arizona governor’s race.

The announcement Thursday by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio marks the fifth time since 1998 that he has flirted with — and ultimately decided against — seeking Arizona’s highest elected office.

Arpaio says in a statement that he can’t in good conscience leave his current post and noted he has several unspecified sensitive investigations in progress.

The 81-year-old Republican says he will seek a seventh term as sheriff in 2016.

He is known for jailing inmates in canvass tents, dressing them in pink underwear and conducting immigration patrols.

If Arpaio had decided to run for governor, Arizona law would have required him to resign immediately because he isn’t in the final year of his term as sheriff.