Arpaio: Offers pouring in to offset funding loss

Valley gun-maker Frank DeSomma donated about $10,000 worth of guns and equipment to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office earlier this year, but he wanted it to be a secret.

Governor takes Arpaios funds for task force

County OKs $1M for illegal-immigrant sweeps

“I wanted to give this because I appreciate the organization,” DeSomma said. “But I wanted to keep it quiet.”

But in Maricopa County, DeSomma soon learned, donations cannot be kept quiet. They are even discussed in public meetings because of specific rules to keep such gifts above board.

DeSomma, who owns Patriot Ordnance Factory in Glendale, was among dozens of people donating to Maricopa County agencies in the past year whose names appear on public documents.

Now, as Sheriff Joe Arpaio begins to openly and actively accept donations for his office’s immigration enforcement efforts, many expect the number of donors to skyrocket.

Arpaio said on Thursday that his office has already received numerous donations this week, just days after setting up a fund to collect them.

A statement released last week by his office said an unnamed California-based group had 10,000 people who wanted to give, but that fact could not be verified.

Since Monday, the sheriff’s office has brought in about $13,000, Arpaio said. As of Thursday, there was no way to independently verify that figure.

Arpaio also said the office was so flooded with calls from people asking how to donate, the sheriff’s staff had to set up a special telephone line just to handle them all.

What sparked the unusual flood of charity was a dust-up last week between the sheriff and Gov. Janet Napolitano.

The governor announced she was yanking more than $1 million in state money from the sheriff’s office in order to create a task force to hunt down fugitives.

Arpaio said he had planned to use the money to round up illegal immigrants and publicly accused Napolitano of a conspiracy to stop him.

That event, Arpaio said Thursday, started the flood of people hoping to help make up the difference.

“I don’t like asking people for money. I don’t like doing it,” said Arpaio, who insists he is not soliciting the donations, only accepting them as they come in.

A review of Maricopa County policies and state laws shows there are few rules guiding these kinds of donations and how agencies handle them. In fact, unlike campaign contributions, there are no limits as to how much someone can give, and there is very little oversight.

In Maricopa County, agencies have to disclose the donations to the Board of Supervisors once a month, and each donation has to be approved by the elected members of the board.

Fran McCarroll, the clerk of the board, said she has seen oddities like horses, cars, paintings and bricks donated to various county agencies. No matter how small the gift, though, it has to be approved, she said.

Arpaio said his agency will help police the donations, sending back any that aren’t specifically marked “for illegal immigration” or are personally made out to him.

However, he said, it will be tough to monitor the process very closely.

“How am I going to check every check?” he asked.