Patrol Division
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office Patrol Division under the direction of Commander Gerardo Castillo who is responsible for providing a full range of law enforcement service and emergency response to unincorporated areas of Santa Cruz County. The Patrol division is also the gateway to many assignments such as criminal investigations division, SWAT, school resource officer, or DARE.
Choosing a career in law enforcement is a challenging and rewarding lifestyle. Applicants must pass written and physical examinations, a background investigation, and psychological and polygraph examinations. Upon successfully completing the application requirements and applicant must complete a 18-week law enforcement certification academy.
Law enforcement training academies have a rigorous curriculum consisting of Arizona law, report writing, physical conditioning, defensive tactics, firearms training, and emergency vehicle operations. Recruits that successfully complete a law enforcement training academy are assigned to patrol with a field training officer for 12 weeks before being assigned to a patrol squad.
Once assigned to the patrol division, deputies patrol designated areas or districts. These districts are classified as; district 1 (Rio Rico), district 2 (Tumacacori, Carmen, Tubac, Amado, and Arivaca), and district 3 (Patagonia, Sonoita, Elgin, Lochiel, and Mowery). The deputies canvass these areas searching for suspicious activity; investigate crime scenes, interview victim’s witnesses and suspects. Deputies also affect arrest when warranted, respond to both emergency and non-emergency calls for service, and enforce all criminal and traffic laws.