Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers!)

You must be at least 18 years of age, a resident of Maricopa County, and pass a variety of Background Screenings (Criminal, Drug, Psych, and Poly).

The term "Reserve" has different meanings in each law enforcement agency. For the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, the word is used in the context of a "Reserve Deputy". Reserve Deputies in the MCSO are sworn officers who have gone through the AZPOST academy. They have full arrest powers and, for all intensive purposes, are regular police officers. The only difference between a Reserve Deputy and a Fulltime Sworn Deputy is that the reserve deputies are not paid. They volunteer a minimum number of hours a month to the office.

Possemen are not sworn officers and have no arrest powers. While we also volunteer the hours for free, we must work at the direction of a sworn deputy (fulltime or reserve). While under the direction of a sworn deputy, posse may be directed to make arrests, issue tickets, etc. This is known as "working under the color of authority" of the sworn deputy.

When working with the Sheriff's Office there is always an inherent risk. Depending on your level of involvement, this risk can be minimal or substantial. For example one could decide to volunteer all their time helping with administrative work and the risk would be minimal. On the other hand, there are posse volunteers who go out and do District Patrol with deputies, thereby making putting them in the same amount of risk as any other law enforcement officer.

This mainly depends on the posse you decide to join. In the Jeep Posse, members are expected to volunteer at least 150 hours on a yearly basis. This can include hours spent for meetings, training or details.

At last known estimates, there are approximately 3000 posse volunteers. There are approximately 300-500 QAP (armed) possemen.

Being involved with the posse can be pretty expensive. Depending on your level of involvement and enthusiasm, you can spend anywhere from $200 just for a uniform, up to the tens of thousands for a patrol car, radio, gun and other things. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see a table of standard equipment and their costs.

Typically there is no cost to join, however most Posses do require members to pay dues on a yearly basis.

You do not have to carry anything you do not wish to. Simply do not take the courses. However, once you have taken the course, you are expected to have these tools available.

Not at all. You can got through your entire posse career without going through the Qualified Armed Posseman academy (which is a requirement for you to carry a weapon in uniform). However, some training classes and details are only available to those who are QAP.

Most posses do not require this. Jeep however does not have a fleet of vehicles and thus each member needs their own vehicle.

No. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities that do not involve patrol. This can include helping with administrative work, bicycle registration details, child fingerprinting, fundraising, search and rescue and more!

Most posses do issue badges to their volunteers, and it is a requirement for those in uniformed patrol. You cannot, however, carry your badge with you when you are not working for the Sheriff's Office!

First and foremost, you cannot carry anything on duty (in uniform) unless you have been trained first. Once you have completed the required training, the office will allow you to carry equipment such as OC Spray, Handcuffs, Tasers, Batons, Firearms, Pepperball Guns and more.

Possemen are considered Non-compensated Employees of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. As such while working in an official capacity, you are covered by the county's workman's compensation. Furthermore, the Office has indicated (although not officially in writing) that should any sort of liability arise as a result of acting in a official capacity, as long as the actions were carried out under policy, the Office would back the Posse.

Possemen are not authorized to carry concealed weapons on duty. This does not prohibit you from carrying off-duty as a civilian, provided you are allowed to.

It is recommended that anytime you wear the office uniform and badge, or any markings that say "Sheriff" that you wear ballistic protection. It can save your life.

Certain expenses are tax-deductible as either a donation to your posse or as expenses as an employee. Please consult a tax professional.

Being a Posseman does not give you powers of arrest or any other statuatory powers. You are not a law enforcement officer. You are only given the authority to act upon the instructions of a sworn deputy.

Most uniform stores will have what you need. West Valley Uniforms, East Valley Uniforms, University Police Supply are good places to check out.

After attending a Posse Orientation Meeting and filling out the application, you can expect to wait 1-2 months before your application will be processed.

Once you have joined the posse and are assigned to a posse, contact your posse Training Officer and they will be able to enroll you in classes.

Bring a pen/pencil and paper to take notes.

For classroom instruction such as Law and Legal or Radio Operations, please dress in business casual attire. For classes that involve physical activity such as defensive tactics, wear a black shirt, brown pants (cargo or uniform), and black boots.

At this time, for training students must bring their own ammunition for QAP, Rifle, and Shotgun courses as well as for MOD Qualifications.

Please request the official Firearms Policy from your training officer. This list is subject to change.

At this time, students do not have to be tasered.

Yes.

For certain courses, there is a waiver process that can be chosen. Please contact your Training Officer for more details.

Training is provided free of charge by the Sheriff's Office. You may have to pay for materials such as bullets, however.

Training is done by qualified instructors which may be sworn deputies, detention officers, or posse instructors.

This depends on your availability to attend classes, the availability of instructors to teach classes, and the number of others trying to take the same class. From the time you join, it may take anywhere from one year to two years to take all the requisite training from Law and Legal to the Firearms Academy.