Sheriff Sheridan questions accuracy of audit that accuses MCSO of overreporting oversight costs

PHOENIX – Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan is questioning the accuracy of an audit that found his agency allegedly overreported the cost of court-ordered oversight in a long-running racial-profiling case by tens of millions of dollars.

A court-ordered monitor has been reviewing MCSO operations for over a decade as part of what’s known as the Ortega Melendres case, or just Melendres, which dates back to Joe Arpaio’s time as the sheriff for Greater Phoenix.

Sheridan told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show that a new audit of the spending MCSO attributed to compliance with court orders in the case started more than a year before he took office in January. He said the monitor initially hired a financial expert who “didn’t even know how to read the spreadsheet.”

“So, they had to hire somebody else,” Sheridan said. “These guys are not CPAs. They don’t have the experience to do an audit of a huge government operation. The sheriff’s budget is about $700 million a year, and the county’s budget is a couple of billion. They don’t have the expertise to do this.”

What is MCSO doing about audit findings?

The auditor report, which was submitted to the court last week, alleged that MCSO inappropriately attributed over $163 million to Melendres, a figure that represents 72% of the agency’s reported costs in the case. The total includes $144.4 million for misattributed or improperly prorated personnel expenditures.

MCSO was given 30 days to challenge the findings in court.

“We’re going to ask … for an extension of that because we’re going to have to hire people because they don’t believe our people, right? … So, we’re going to have to hire somebody that’s a CPA to take a look at it that’s familiar with government operations,” Sheridan said.

Why is MCSO under court-ordered oversight?

After a 2012 trial, a federal judge ruled that MCSO violated the rights of Hispanic drivers by engaging in racial profiling and conducting unlawful traffic stops. Compliance orders were issued in 2013.

In March, Sheridan said MCSO was working with the ACLU, the Department of Justice and the court monitor to get out from under the compliance.

Up until the audit was released last week, Sheridan said he was feeling good about MCSO’s progress. But it’s been an expensive effort requiring dozens of new hires, he said.

“There has been no racial profiling or bias in well over 10 years, and that’s the gist of this lawsuit, right, is the judge didn’t want MCSO to racially profile or be biased,” he said. “And we have proven time and time again that the deputies are not. And so, when they talk about expenses, there’s no fraud here. … It costs a lot of money.”

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