Primary countdown: Jack McClaren, Pinal County Sheriff

The primary election is Aug. 28 and early balloting is underway. Between now and Aug. 20, InMaricopa.com will publish two to three Q & As at a time done with candidates in primary races.

Today: Jack McClaren, Republican candidate for Pinal County Sheriff. He is running against Derek Arnson, incumbent Paul Babeu and Tom Bearup. To see these candidates, and the two Democratic candidates, in a July 21 candidates’ forum click here and here.

Name: Jack McClaren
Age: 53
Occupation: Self-employed security consultant; former county constable.
Residence: San Tan Valley
Family: Three grown children; five grandchildren
Education: Certified public manager; Arizona State University course graduate; Project CENTRL graduate; University of Arizona two-year leadership course; FBI trained negotiator.
Hobbies: I love ridding Harleys and seeing our great Arizona countryside.
Favorite quote: “Always be a little kinder than necessary.” — James M. Barrie
Heart’s desire: To see all my grandchildren graduate from college and enjoy this great nation.
Political experience: Constable in Justice Precinct 7 San Tan Valley, Apache Junction, Gold Canyon.

Why are you running?

I am an Arizona native who believes when you run for something you make a promise to folks to get the job done, not use it for something else.

I am running to restore the integrity and trust the sheriff’s office and its many fine deputies and detention officers deserve. You deserve a full-time sheriff booking bad guys into the jail, not booking national TV time for a political career. I have compassion and family values, combined with more than 19 years of professional law enforcement work. I have been a sheriff’s commander and served on the Girls and Boys Club board. I am an Army veteran.

What is your biggest election challenge?

I have a modest campaign and most of my donations are from Pinal County, not from out of state like my opponent. The challenge is name ID against someone who used the sheriff’s office to attempt a run for Congress, then failed and decided to take a second pass at being sheriff.  Pinal County deserves a sheriff dedicated to being your sheriff, not a career politician looking for the next office or public pension. Getting that message out is the challenge.

Why should Maricopans vote for you?

Maricopa residents deserve the best law enforcement. They enjoy a great police department in Maricopa. They deserve a sheriff who achieves great response times and cuts crime without blowing the budget and then whining and arguing for more. None of us have the luxury of spending more in this economy. The best law enforcement should not cost more or break the budget. Maricopans should ask why this has failed with the current sheriff. The answer is to put a longtime Pinal County law enforcement leader in the top county cop job. That is why they should vote for me.

Who are you voting for president?

I am voting for Romney because President Obama has been a weak leader. He is more philosophical than action – and we very much need a person of action leading our nation today during troubled times.

How would you deal with SB 1070?

Our first goal is to protect Pinal County citizens and respond to emergencies. We are not a substitute for the federal agency already tasked with immigration matters. As sheriff, I will reach out to our Hispanic officers and community leaders to find ways we can be effective in putting the collar on those who commit criminal acts, regardless of their immigration status.

We will step up to the plate when it touches into narcotics enforcement and human smuggling. If someone is in the U.S. illegally and is committing a crime in Pinal County, they will get the same priority for being arrested as legal residents who break our laws.

What is the biggest challenge facing the sheriff’s office? And, what would you do about it?

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office and its deputies/detention officers deserve to have their integrity restored. The sheriff’s office will not be the movie studio for another political career.

I am a law enforcement professional determined to book bad guys into the jail, not book time on national TV for political exploits. We are going to do basic, hands-on community policing to attack crime at the grass roots. We are going to find ways to work with community groups and others to get gangs out of our schools and neighborhoods.

What is the greatest challenge for law enforcement in Pinal County?