Sheriff’s Office honors departmental volunteers at first annual Appreciation Dinner

The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office held its first annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Saturday evening at The Property in Casa Grande. inmaricopa.com was proud to be the only member of the county’s press at the invitation-only event.

Among the 30 plus table sponsors were the City of Maricopa, District 3 Supervisor David Snider and Lieutenant Kaye Dickson, formerly head of the Maricopa substation.

Over 200 guests attended the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.

Well over 200 people were feted with a buffet dinner, music and dancing as well as door prizes, but the emphasis for the evening was all on the volunteers. These men and women serve in various departments of the Sheriff’s Office. They serve without pay and contribute countless hours to their departments, including the Sheriff’s Posse, the ID Unit, Victim’s Assistance, Administrative Services, the Reserves and the Cold Case Squad, which is on the brink of solving a 17-year-old murder. Pinal County is the only law enforcement department in the state or the nation to have such a Cold Case team.

District 3 Supervisor David Snider was both a table sponsor and a guest at the event.

Public Information Officer Mike Minter was the evening’s emcee. He introduced Sheriff Chris Vasquez who explained that, “Not one single dollar of tax money has gone into this event.” He went on to thank all the table sponsors and the prize donors for their generosity.

Sheriff Vasquez (right) receives another presentation award from his assistants, Marcia Romano and Chief Deputy Jerald Monahan.

Recognizing every volunteer, Vasquez presented him or her with a challenge coin and a personal message. In addition, the volunteers of the year for each department received awards. Sonoran Search and Rescue received praise for their work in the desert as well as a $1,000 check.

Vasquez explained that, when he first became a Casa Grande Police Department lieutenant, he was tasked with doing something about the crime rate that was the highest per capita in the county. He instituted programs like Crime-Free Multi-Housing, the Citizen’s Police Academy, the Citizens’ Cellular Phone Patrol and the Senior Citizen Phone Patrol. “With the volunteers we were bringing in, it started to make a difference,” explained Vasquez. “That was our biggest decrease in crime, and now we enjoy a relatively low crime rate.”

“It takes a joint effort with law enforcement and the community,” added Vasquez. “Volunteers have saved the Sheriff’s Office over $150,000 this year alone.” The dedication and selflessness of the volunteers is very great, according to the Sheriff who noted, “Each of you are my hero.”