Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio had provided police service to the city of El Mirage, Arizona for approximately 21/2 years during 2005 to 2007. The self-proclaimed "America's Toughest Sheriff" received approximately $2.5 million from El Mirage in exchange for police protection for its residents. Then in late 2007 the city decided to re-organize its own police force. The contract with Sheriff Arpaio's office was terminated and a "new" El Mirage Police Department was formed. Shortly thereafter, the investigative staff of the "new" El Mirage began examining the police reports written by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office during the time when they were in El Mirage. What they uncovered during their audit was unconscionable. Dozens of cases involving homicides, robberies, and sex crimes had been mishandled, neglected or simply ignored by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Most of the sex crimes involved small children. Some of the homicide cases had strong evidence and looked to be "solvable" but were just never completed. The author provides an inside look at the resulting scandal that rocked the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. An in-depth review of the crimes that were mishandled, what the victims endured and how the offenders were never brought to justice are all described in detail. The book includes police reports from 31 actual child sex-crime cases that were mishandled, neglected or never completed by the Special Victims Unit of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Each case includes a complete, real-life account of the crime as described by the victimized child or their parents. The specific details about the crimes are based on the actual police reports that were written by the first-responder police officers, deputies, detectives and supervisors. The information in the police reports is from first-hand accounts of victims, witnesses, parents, social workers, teachers and friends who gave their statements to the police officers or deputies when the crimes were first reported to authorities. But, "If There Were Any Victims..." is more than just an expose´ of poor police practices by Sheriff Joe Arpaio's organization. It also serves as an educational tool for parents and young people alike. In addition to the actual police reports, the author includes helpful advice about personal protection, crime prevention and the effects of victimization. A "real life" education comes from examining the 31 police reports included in the book. Through the personal experiences of the victims and their families, parents can gain insight on ways to prevent their own children from becoming victims of child predators. Teachers can use the experiences of the victims in this book as topics of classroom discussion about running away from home, the dangers of the Internet and other high risk activities. Counselors can glean valuable insight from the circumstances which led the children in these incidents to become victimized. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio received a flurry of negative national publicity when the mishandling of these cases was publicly exposed. On December 5, 2011 Sheriff Arpaio made a half-hearted apology to the victims of these crimes, but qualified his "apology" by questioning whether there really were any victims. Perhaps this book will help Sheriff Joe Arpaio answer his own question of "If There Were Any Victims..."
About the Author: Bill Louis grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and graduated from Brophy College Prep. After honorably serving in the United States Army he returned to Phoenix where he and his wife raised their family. Bill chose a career in law enforcement spending nearly 31 years with the Phoenix Police Department rising through the ranks to Assistant Police Chief. During his law enforcement career, Chief Louis gained a wide range of experience through assignments in Patrol, Training, Organized Crime, Vice, Crimes Against Children, Internal Affairs, Violent Crimes (homicide, robbery and assaults) and Homeland Security. Chief Louis led the successful task force investigations for two Phoenix, Arizona serial murder investigations known as the Baseline Killer and Serial Shooter cases. He was responsible for other high profile investigations of Asian Organized Crime, the Russian Mafia, the Hell's Angels and the Mexican Mafia. Chief Louis also headed up Phoenix police security planning and operations for the 2001 World Series and the 2008 Super Bowl. Following the events of September 11, 2001, Chief Louis was assigned to the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and remained there until his retirement from law enforcement. Due to the sensitive nature of some of his assignments, Chief Louis held a Top Secret Security clearance through the FBI. After 31 years with the Phoenix Police Department, Assistant Chief Louis was hired by the City of El Mirage, Arizona in 2007 to help re-build and re-engineer their police department. He spent the next three years implementing new policies, developing new enforcement strategies and promoting community involvement in the police department. Throughout his 34 years in law enforcement Assistant Chief Louis was active in the International Police Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Arizona Chiefs Association, the Association of Former Army Security Agents and the Association of Former Intelligence Officers. Chief Louis retired from law enforcement in 2010. He lives with his wife in Peoria, Arizona where he remains active in his community. Chief Louis is an accomplished guitar player and plays in a light-rock band. His other interests include travel, scuba diving, wood work and spending time with his grandchildren. Chief Louis is fluent in the German language. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Phoenix and a Master's Degree in Education from Northern Arizona University.