Maricopa County projects taxpayer costs from a long-running racial profiling lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Office will hit $350 million next year. Now the monitor overseeing agency reforms is trying to verify the figure.
In a court hearing on Friday, the judge said if the monitor finds that Maricopa County is overstating the cost, or if there isn’t data to support the figure claimed, then an independent, public finance expert may be assigned to identify the real taxpayer expense.
Raul Piña is a member of a community advisory board that keeps tabs on reform efforts in the Sheriff’s Office.
“The advisory board introduced these questions related to finances, and the cost, and the line items. And were we really, in fact, spending money on Melendres-related issues or was it operations?”
Three members of the Board of Supervisors who’ve been citing cost while calling for the Sheriff’s Office to be freed of oversight were no-shows at the court hearing.
Quarterly meetings on ending racial profiling and improving internal affairs in the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office have for years been held all over metro Phoenix.
But reports of weapons brought to the most recent meeting, and political violence elsewhere have raised safety concerns.
Future gatherings may instead be held at the federal court house. A judge may also ask the board Pina serves on to decide which comments are heard by the Sheriff and monitor.
“Whatever it takes, I think the advisory board is willing to do that work. To gather feedback and questions for the next meeting in October,” Piña said.
