Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone has temporarily suspended the agency’s volunteer posse.

He says only four out of 235 members who carry guns have completed all the certification requirements.

The announcement comes as the department’s ongoing audit has revealed at least 50 firearms are missing. 

“Thus far into the audit, there has not been a single indication to show that any of those weapons have gone missing from this organization since I’ve taken office,” said Penzone. 

“Until we can do a thorough audit and until we can incorporate all those individuals through this process so that we can ensure they meet the standards, I can’t allow for this to continue until we’ve done our due diligence,” he said. 

Penzone also said former Sheriff Joe Arpaio tried to rapidly increase the size of the posse without proper training.