From a Tempe City Council member and a Maricopa County schools chief to a former Pinal County manager and Border Patrol officers, every level of government is under close watch.

The Arizona Public Corruption Task Force, which includes most law enforcement agencies in the state, is providing training and sharing information about possible power-abuse cases. Federal prosecutors recently formed a unit to handle public corruption. And the FBI says that public corruption is now one of its top five priorities.

"Public corruption basically can degrade society at the core, and it affects everything in our society," FBI spokeswoman Deborah McArley said.