As schools reopen this week after the winter holiday, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio formally launched new patrols by his volunteer posse around schools in unincorporated parts of the county. KJZZ's Jude Joffe-Block reports the Sheriff intends to keep the patrols going through the end of the school year.

JUDE JOFFE-BLOCK: The Sheriff called the effort a stop-gap measure until there is more funding to put full-time school resource officers in all the schools. The posse is made up of volunteer citizens who are trained by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Arpaio said posse members will be armed and will patrol the perimeter of 59 schools in marked cars. Arpaio says his office notified the schools -- which fall in unincorporated Maricopa County -- by email about the patrols.

JOE ARPAIO: And if some don't like it, I am still going to do it because I am not going to go on school grounds, unless a serious occurrence happens. And then we are going into the school to try to divert or curtail any vicious activity by any shooters or any other serious situation.

JOFFE-BLOCK: Arpaio says the posse patrols don't cost taxpayers money, since the members volunteer their time and pay for all of their own materials.

View list of affected schools.