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Maricopa County deputies warn rising financial scams; new Squad 5 and co‑responder set for community policing
Summary
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office told Fountain Hills council that financial scams are up and difficult to investigate, and described plans to add a local Squad 5 for targeted community policing and to staff a local co‑responder with mental‑health training.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) officials presented a three‑part update to Fountain Hills council on June 3: a summary of local calls for service, planned schedule and staffing adjustments that will add a flexible Squad 5 for proactive community policing, and a warning about an uptick in sophisticated financial scams that are challenging to investigate.
Captain Thomas, newly assigned to District 7, said the district has 20 deputies, seven sergeants and two deputy service aids, and that the office will soon on‑board a Fountain Hills resident as an additional deputy service aide. He also described a co‑responder with mental‑health training assigned to the district who will respond to behavioral health calls where a non‑sworn, clinical approach is more appropriate.
Thomas reviewed call patterns (Jan–May) and response times by beat and told council that calls typically rise during daytime hours and peak in mid‑afternoon. To align staffing with demand and to free deputies for higher‑priority responses, MCSO will implement a schedule change to 4‑10 and 3‑13 shifts and create Squad 5, which will overlap with existing patrol to boost visibility, community engagement and targeted responses to recurring problems such as vandalism or stop‑sign violations.
Detective Roberts briefed council on financial and courier scams affecting county residents. He said many recent cases involve callers coercing victims to withdraw large sums of cash or to buy gold or cryptocurrency, which couriers then collect. The investigations are often cross‑border and complex; the detective said education and prevention remain the best tools because many incidents are reported only after funds have left the jurisdiction.
MCSO and town staff announced a community education session on scams scheduled for June 26, 4–6 p.m. at the Fountain Hills Community Center and said the department will make its financial‑crime presentation available to local HOAs and service groups.
Ending: Councilmembers and staff encouraged residents to attend the June 26 session and to use MCSO materials for local HOAs; Captain Thomas said the new Squad 5 and the boarded co‑responder will begin in June and that regular reporting on calls for service will follow.
