Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
Contact Information
Posse Administration Unit
Phone: (602) 256-1210
Training and Development Building
3325 W. Durango
Phoenix, AZ 85009
United States
North America
Program Description
The Posse Administration Unit is responsible for the functional management and control of the Posse Program. This section oversees over three thousand volunteers who make up the various posses within the Sheriff's Office. There are currently fifty-seven specialized posses within the Maricopa County.
One of the most visible parts of the Sheriff's Office, the Posse volunteers bring their own personal talents to the service of all of us here in Maricopa County. They provide valuable support to the various divisions of the Office and have become an integral part of the day-to-day operations of the Sheriff's Office.
Citizens who choose to become volunteer posse members come from all walks of life. All posse applicants undergo a background check and a drug test. Applicants then receive training such as law and legal and first aid. Posse members may also take additional optional training for specialized assignments if they choose.
The Posse Administration Section is responsible for the administrative management of the posses. For further information on how to join the Sheriff's team, please attend our monthly posse orientation located at our Sheriff's Training Division, 3325 W. Durango St. in Phoenix. The monthly orientation is held on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. For further information, please contact the Office of Administration at (602) 256-1210.
Posse members who wish to carry a firearm must undergo seventy-three (73) hours of firearms training, undergo psychological testing and consent to a urinalysis in order to qualify to be a Qualified Armed Posseman (QAP).
Posse members provide valuable assistance to virtually every division within the Sheriff's Office. Posse members assist the patrol deputies by providing back up on dangerous calls, transport prisoners to jail, and provide traffic control at accident scenes. Posse members are also used to process paperwork for the Civil/Criminal Process Sections, Records and Identification Section, Enforcement Support Division, and the Special Investigations Division.
Persons interested in joining the Sheriff's Posse must be at least eighteen (18) years old, a United States Citizen, possess a valid Arizona drivers license, be a resident of Maricopa County, and pass a background investigation and drug test. We hold an orientation every 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Training & Development building at 3325 W. Durango Phoenix, AZ, except for the month of December, with an oral background interview the following Saturday.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio has developed several innovative crime suppression operations using posse and reserve volunteers that combat a variety of problems in the community. Due to lack of personnel and budget, programs such as these would not be possible if it weren't for the use of volunteers saving many thousands of tax dollars each year.
One such successful program is the Holiday Mall Operation. Each year, hundreds of posse and reserve deputy volunteers patrol major shopping malls countywide. The presence of uniformed members of the Sheriff's Office not only deter crime, such as thefts and car jacking, but also result in a sense of security for shoppers day and night. These volunteers also provide motorist assists and help look for lost children at the malls.
The Sheriff's Van Buren Anti-Prostitution Detail has been used many times to eradicate prostitution in areas of Phoenix that prostitutes typically frequent. This program was successful by not only reducing the number of prostitutes working the Van Buren area, but overall calls for service to the Phoenix Police Department also dropped dramatically. This enabled police to provide quicker response time to citizens' calls for service, thereby enhancing police services to the citizens of Maricopa County. The types of calls for service that were significantly reduced were assaults, thefts, robberies, and prostitution.
Operation TAG (Take Away Graffiti) utilized posse volunteers and reserve deputies to conduct surveillance of high graffiti areas within Maricopa County. Suspects caught in the act of painting walls and buildings were then arrested and charged with criminal damage. As a result of the TAG program, next day calls for re-painting to valley agencies significantly dropped.
The Deadbeat Parent program used reserve deputies and posse members to locate and arrest men and women with outstanding warrants for failing to pay child support. This operation has been conducted several times and has been very popular with the public concerned with the welfare of valley children.
Agency Information
Number of volunteers: 3000
Last updated: 9/16/2003
Categories
Administrative
Citizen Patrol
Reserve Program
Other
The Posse Administration Unit
Stories
109-Year-Old Becomes Posse Colonel (12/1/2009)
Maricopa County Sheriff's posse commander puts out call for other volunteers (1/26/2009)
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