The one-fifth-cent jail tax you're charged with every purchase in the Valley is buying much more than just a jail.

Maricopa County taxpayers are bearing most of the cost of a $15.9 million sheriff's training academy, complete with a 440-yard running track, volleyball courts, mock jail, an auditorium with stadium seating, a full-size weight room and other conveniences.

In all, the jail tax is paying for about $40 million in projects not directly related to jails, including the academy, parking garages and other support buildings.

Kevin McCarthy, president of the Arizona Tax Research Association, said the situation demonstrates what often happens when voters approve new taxes.

"Once the money is collected . . . it goes oftentimes well beyond what the voters were told," he said. "What's (the academy) got to do with the jails?"

The tax extension was promoted as a way for the county to build and operate new jails to keep up with the Valley's explosive growth. County officials justified the academy saying they'll need to train officers to staff the jails, and added that the original ballot measure included jail support costs.

The academy, near 35th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road, is scheduled for completion in mid-October. Sheriff Joe Arpaio said he's thrilled: "Since I've been sheriff, I've always wanted my own academy."

The tax, extended by voters in November, is expected to generate up to $3.1 billion over the next two decades, with the county spending more than $500 million on projects including the new Fourth Avenue Jail in downtown Phoenix, the Lower Buckeye Jail and the Mesa Juvenile Facilities. The rest will go mostly toward operating costs.

Although many of the amenities offered at the academy, such as obstacle courses and weight rooms, are available at other training centers in the Valley, most agree this site will stand out. The new training academy will house 13 classrooms, a firearms simulation suite, locker rooms, a computer lab and mat rooms among other things.

Employees can also use a weight room, complete with 43 pieces of equipment. For more exercise, the 13-acre parcel will have an obstacle course, running track and volleyball courts.

"Their officers will be well-trained," said David Bradley, vice president of D.L. Withers Construction, which is building the training center. "Everything is here. All the testing is done here, all the training, all the ceremonies."

Simulated training

In addition to the main facility, the builders also constructed a two-story, 10-cell mock jail that will allow officers to train as if they're really on the job. The building will simulate several kinds of cells found throughout the jail system. It even incorporates places to hide contraband.

Arpaio said the expenses are justified.

"We have the lowest salaries for my deputies compared to all the other police departments in the Valley," he added. "The least I can do to counteract that is make sure we have a great academy, and not only for the morale of our newly appointed officers, but also to make sure they get the best training possible."

County officials decided they would need a larger, more extensive academy to train an estimated 1,300 detention officers who will be needed to staff the new jails. The Sheriff's Office already trains detention officers, deputies and posse members at a facility in south Phoenix, but that was not considered sufficient. The authorities say they are being reasonable in their quest for a much-improved training center and downplayed the expense.

"The county is conservative," said Loretta Barkell, chief financial officer for the Sheriff's Office. "They don't want to sound like they're giving us the Taj Mahal here. They're pretty careful with how they spend their money."

Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox agreed: "We were real strict. There are no bells and whistles."

A June internal audit conducted by the county showed no problems with spending associated with the tax funds, and builders say they're on time and on budget. The tax adds about a nickel to a $25 purchase.

The county will spend about $11 million in jail tax money on the new academy, with the rest coming from grants.

An additional $8 million in general funds and grant money will be used to build a property and evidence warehouse and possibly a shooting range for the Sheriff's Office.

Most Valley law enforcement departments use a center in south Phoenix shared by the Phoenix Police Department and Arizona Law Enforcement Academy, which trains the vast majority of officers. That facility underwent a $10 million build-out that was completed about two years ago, academy Lt. Lisa Ruschak said.

"Fifteen million dollars? That will be a beautiful facility," said Lt. Jeffeory Hynes of the Phoenix Police Academy.

Hynes said there's no way for him to know whether the facility is cost-effective, but he did say it "that seems pretty expensive to duplicate something already offered in the Valley."

He added that there's a down side to separate training among departments, saying long-term relationships among agencies may suffer. In an effort to combat the problem, Phoenix police are discussing whether to trade academy trainers with other departments.

For the past several years, the Sheriff's Office has conducted its basic and specialized training at a complex near Durango and 35th Avenue.

Overflow training

About 5,000 employees go through training every year, a mass the Phoenix center could not handle, Deputy Chief Jesse Locksa said.

The sheriff called the department's current facilities "disgusting." Officials say they use old buildings that lack space and have to pretend when trying to conduct jail-setting training.

"We're also dealing with very archaic equipment," Sgt. Paul Chagolla said. "It's hot, hot, hot in the summer and cold, cold, cold in the winter."

The Sheriff's Office has had a difficult time hiring jail detention officers. About 50 detention officer positions are open.

The main reason is the low pay, Barkell said. Detention officers start at about $12.50 an hour and deputies start at $13.75.

"I think it's a little inefficient to put somebody through the academy to have them picked up by cities like Peoria or Mesa," Supervisor Andy Kunasek said.

"It disturbs me to know we're training these guys and ladies and getting them ready to go be a cop and they get hired away."

"Ultimately, we're going to have to start paying our officers better. . . . At some point, you're chasing your tail, and you're never going to get anywhere."