Maricopa County Sheriff's Office | |
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Abbreviation | MCSO |
Patch of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
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Agency overview | |
Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Operations jurisdiction* | County of Maricopa in the state of Arizona, U.S. |
Size | 9,224 square miles (23,890 km2) |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Headquarters | Phoenix, Arizona |
Agency executive | Paul Penzone |
Website | |
Official Website | |
Footnotes | |
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. |
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Maricopa County, Arizona. It has its headquarters at 550 West Jackson Street, Phoenix. It is the largest sheriff's office in Arizona and provides general-service and specialized law enforcement to unincorporated areas of Maricopa County, serving as the primary law enforcement for unincorporated areas of the county as well as incorporated cities within the county who have contracted with the agency for law-enforcement services (known as "contract cities"). It also operates the county jail system. Paul Penzone is the current Sheriff of Maricopa County. Its ongoing practices are highly controversial, to which it has received national and international media coverage, along with a number of federal investigations and other controversies under former sheriff Joe Arpaio.
The MCSO does not possess a legal identity separate from Maricopa County. Deputy Sheriffs of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office are delegated their law enforcement authority by the Sheriff of Maricopa County.
Maricopa County is the fourth largest county in the United States, and has a total area of 9,224 square miles (23,900 km2). The county is currently divided into six geographical areas, referred to as Districts, and consist of District 1, District 2, District 3, District 4, District 6, and District 7. Districts are generally staffed by a District Commander (Captain), Deputy Commander (Lieutenant), uniformed sergeants and patrol deputies, detectives, and administrative staff. Districts overlap city agencies, as the Sheriff's Office has concurrent jurisdiction in these areas.
District 1 - District One covers an area of approximately 1,053 square miles (2,730 km2) in the southeast quadrant of the county. District One encompasses the cities of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe, along with the Town of Guadalupe and CDP of Sun Lakes. District One also includes portions of the Town of Queen Creek, and the cities of Apache Junction, Scottsdale, and Phoenix, including the Ahwatukee Foothills. While District One is not the largest district in size, it is historically the busiest, averaging approximately 40% more calls for service than any of the other districts.