Maricopa County’s top two elected lawmen announced Wednesday they are teaming up to fight public corruption and white-collar crime.
County Attorney Andrew Thomas said his office and Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s office have been working together on a number of cases for a few months now, but they used Wednesday’s announcement of their investigation into Maricopa County Community College District to announce their partnership.
They have dubbed their special unit Operation M.A.C.E, or Maricopa County’s Anti-Corruption Effort.
“I think it’s an area that needs additional emphasis, and our offices working together are in a position to make a major difference in this fight,” Thomas said.
The community college investigation is the only one that has reached the point where investigators have served search warrants, Thomas said.
Arpaio’s office investigated and got a 29-count indictment against County Schools Superintendent Sandra Dowling in October.
