The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has faced scrutiny for its handling of funds related to a class-action settlement intended to address racial profiling. This settlement followed a federal judge’s finding in 2013 that the department under the leadership of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio had violated the constitutional rights of Latino drivers. Required reforms included documenting traffic stops, employing investigators for deputy misconduct, and appointing a monitor.
The expenses billed by the Sheriff’s Office, totaling over $200 million, were intended to comply with these court orders. However, an audit revealed significant discrepancies.
More than $1.5 million was spent on renovating office space in Phoenix and $1.7 million on Tasers, alongside charges for cable TV subscriptions and a golf cart. Such charges were unjustified, according to auditors.
Mischaracterizing spending undermines the court’s credibility, stated the audit team, emphasizing that nearly 72% of expenses were inaccurately billed.
Oversight Concerns
The audit determined that only $63 million of the expenses were appropriately charged to the settlement. The rest were either unrelated or only partially related to the court’s orders. For example, salaries and services completely unconnected to the case were billed to the settlement.
Maricopa’s Board of Supervisors seemed to lack oversight. They rarely questioned how funds were used despite the sheriff’s office’s misappropriations, accounting for millions of dollars billed inaccurately over nearly a decade.
Audit Findings
The sheriff’s office expensed $1,261 for a boat and swift-water rescue training, $4,070 on training for a horse, and $5,077 for travel to National Police Week in Washington, D.C. None were connected to the settlement’s goals.
The professional development of sheriff’s deputies was unrelated to court orders stemming from the racial profiling case.
Auditors concluded that from 2014 to 2024, nearly $144 million in personnel costs was misattributed, emphasizing ongoing taxpayer liabilities.
Auditors also pointed out that $950 body cameras were purchased even when only 434 to 513 employees were required to wear them per fiscal year. About $2.9 million exceeded court requirements.
Tasers, costing $1.7 million, should have been charged to general funds but were billed to the settlement.
Misappropriate Spending
The sheriff’s department purchased a $11,000 golf cart and spent $34,000 annually on parking for a building accommodating the Professional Standards Bureau. This spending arose despite already meeting the court’s requirements of housing the bureau separately from department leadership.
Auditors noted that space could have been made available in existing public property, with the Bureau housed in high-rise offices costing $1.5 million in renovations, incorrectly charged to the settlement.
Sheriff Sheridan defended the expenses, attributing spending primarily to staffing costs and compliance with court orders. Arpaio’s legacy continues, but the momentum for scrutinizing financial practices is building.
Call for Judicial Oversight
Democratic Supervisor Steve Gallardo opposed removing court oversight, focusing on improving compliance with court orders. He noted compliance rates above 90% with key requirements, yet two areas remain unresolved related to traffic stop disparities and uninvestigated misconduct claims.
The audit determined the sheriff’s office had shifted largely unrelated costs from general county funds to the settlement after fiscal year 2016.
Auditors identified 55 positions legitimately linked to the settlement at the fiscal year 2025 start. However, 84 positions were unjustifiably attributed to the case, and another 70 had partial connections.
Some supervisors, including Gallardo, defended focusing on rooting out racial profiling while seeking ways to align more closely with court requirements.
The audit further revealed the sheriff’s office improperly billed $1.3 million for patrol vehicles for unrelated positions and expensed $3,259 on unjustified car washes.
Glossary of Misappropriation
Republican supervisors defended financial practices but declined deeper inspections. Public finance experts stressed boards must ensure taxpayer funds are used effectively.
Despite ongoing legal arguments, supervisors like Wilcox, a former Latina board member, emphasized learning from past misspending.
This review underscores systematic oversights and inflated costs far beyond the original racial profiling complaints.
Maricopa County continues to navigate judicial requirements while better managing its resources and priorities through the Melendres case.
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