PCSO welcomes new Chief Deputy Jeff Kirkham

Chief Deputy Jeff Kirkham has joined the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.

A 25-year Arizona resident, Chief Kirkham has 23 years of law enforcement experience: from 1985-1987 he was with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office then, from 1987-2008, he was with the Mesa Police Department.

At MCSO Chief Kirkham served as a deputy sheriff. At Mesa PD, he held the positions of: Police Officer, including field training officer, crime scene officer, traffic officer, academy instructor, Honor Guard and recruiter; Sergeant, including detective sergeant, Honor Guard supervisor, detention supervisor and squad sergeant; Lieutenant, including patrol shift commander, accreditation manager for CALEA, professional standards lieutenant, Honor Guard commander, gang liaison lieutenant and division coordinator and Division Commander.

Chief Kirkham has received a Lifesaving Medal, two Medals of Excellence, three Unit Citations, a Department Team Work Citation and two Commendations. His educational background includes an Associate in Arts-Business Administration from Mesa State College, CO; a Bachelor of Science-Business Administration/Secondary Education from ASU; a Master of Organization Management from the University of Phoenix; a Certified Public Manager from ASU and International Chiefs of Police Leadership in Police Organizations.

Chief Kirkham, who pulled an application to Casa Grande PD in order to join PCSO, said he chose the Sheriff’s Office for several reasons.

“There is a lot of potential here to bring in new ideas of modern policing, into which Pinal County is beginning to delve,” he said. “Also, I’ve been city policing for 21 years, and it was time for a change. I am interested in the urban versus rural perspective. Criminals and crime are the same everywhere, but there are different ways of attacking them.”

As Chief Deputy of Pinal County, Chief Kirkham said he would like to bring his training, experience and leadership to assist PCSO with current crime-fighting techniques and practices.

“Pinal County, as one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S., is experiencing a large number of urban crime trends that can be combated with systematic community policing concepts,” he said. “I will be striving to create an agency that operates leaner, better and faster.”

Chief Kirkham resides with his wife of 13 years, who is a lieutenant with the Mesa Police Department, two sons, ages12 and 10, and 9-year-old daughter.

Submitted photo