Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is phasing in his new “school posse” program this week, focusing on 52 schools in the county. While some parents and teachers are happy about it, many others are less than thrilled. Muddying the waters is the lack of identification of the volunteer force. Well, that, and the fact that some of them have criminal backgrounds.

The posses began to take their places on Monday, but the schools had little information about the men who are supposedly protecting their students. One principal spoke of confusion about two men in an umarked car and plain clothes patrolling around the school. Another principal said that they were told there would be men patrolling but nothing else, including whether or not each school gets its own detail.