Pinal County’s new sheriff has announced his management team.
Sheriff Paul Babeu presented his department-restructuring plan recently. It includes the replacement of the department’s top seven officials under the previous sheriff, along with the elimination and reclassification of five additional positions, a department press release says.
Babeu, a Republican, defeated Sheriff Chris Vasquez, a Democrat, in the November election.
The restructuring will initially save the department $400,000, which will be redirected to hiring more deputies and filling key staff positions, the press release says.
The management team will consist of nine new members:
--Lt. Marty Moreno, grants administrator. Moreno spent 25 years with the Tucson Police Department before working as a program manager with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
--Chief Steve Henry, chief deputy law enforcement. Henry previously served as traffic section commander for the Chandler Police Department.
--Cheryl Chase, director of community relations. Chase is a former three-term state representative from Pinal County and worked as a development liaison at Central Arizona College.
--Lt. Blake King, executive officer to the sheriff. King, a former Chandler police officer, will assist the sheriff in official duties and executive projects.
--Chuck Higgins, training coordinator for the posse and mounted unit.
--Chief James Kimble, chief deputy for adult detention. Kimble previously served as deputy warden of the central unit of the Florence prison complex.
--Cmdr. Terry Johnson, commander of operations and security. Johnson is retired from the Arizona Department of Corrections.
--Cmdr. Jayme Valenzuela, commander of support services. Valenzuela has worked for the Sheriff’s Department for 15 years.
--Cmdr. Joe McAuliffe, commander of accreditation. McAuliffe worked 11 years as a police officer and has served as a field training officer and crime prevention officer.
