$163 million billed to a racial profiling settlement and spent on golf carts, cable TV, Tasers, office renovations, and 154 staff positions that had nothing to do with court-ordered reforms.
What the Audit Found
In 2013, a federal judge ruled that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office under Joe Arpaio violated the constitutional rights of Latino drivers. The court ordered sweeping reforms: document every traffic stop, investigate misconduct, appoint an independent monitor.
The county has approved $353 million in spending related to the settlement since 2013. A court-mandated audit examined $226 million the sheriff’s office charged directly to the settlement over 10 years. The auditors found that 72% of it was misattributed or misappropriated. Only $63 million was appropriately charged to compliance efforts.
What the Money Went To
| Expense | Amount | Connection to racial profiling reform |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel costs misattributed | $144 million | 84 of 209 positions had no connection to court orders |
| Body cameras (exceeding court requirements) | $2.9 million | Court required cameras for some units, not the scope purchased |
| Tasers | $1.7 million | Not required by court |
| Office renovations (midtown Phoenix high-rise) | $1.5 million | No connection |
| Patrol vehicles for unrelated positions | $1.3 million | No connection |
| Travel and professional development | $310,000+ | Included boat training, horse evaluation, National Police Week in DC |
| Golf cart | $11,800 | No connection |
| Cable TV subscriptions | $7,669 | No connection |
The auditors concluded: “This mischaracterization misleads the public on the cost of reform efforts and calls into question MCSO’s credibility, transparency, and truthfulness.”
The Push to End Oversight
Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, who took office last year, is pushing to end court oversight entirely. He claims the department has eliminated racial bias. The data says otherwise.
Annual reviews of traffic stops have shown disparities affecting Latino drivers in 9 of the past 10 years. The department still has a backlog of 433 uninvestigated misconduct claims. It is above 90% compliance with major court orders but has not resolved the racial disparities that triggered the case.
In January, the Trump DOJ backed the sheriff’s bid to end oversight. The federal judge has not yet ruled.
The Pattern
This is not the first time. In 2011, a county audit found the sheriff’s office misused $100 million from jail funds to pay patrol deputies. Then-Deputy Sheridan, now the sheriff, called it a “systems issue.”
The argument from the sheriff and Republican county supervisors is that court oversight costs too much. The audit shows the cost is inflated by the sheriff’s office billing unrelated expenses to the settlement. The county Board of Supervisors provided “no meaningful oversight” and had no process to verify appropriate fund usage.
Maricopa County has 4.5 million residents. It is home to more than half of Arizona’s population. What happens here sets the standard for policing accountability in the state.
What you can do
- Follow this case. Federal Judge G. Murray Snow has not ruled on the motion to end oversight. The ruling will determine whether the reforms continue.
- Read the full investigation at ProPublica and Arizona Luminaria.
Read more on the Civil Rights hub and our Arizona state page.