Pinal County elects its first GOP sheriff
The Arizona Republic
Published: 11.07.2008

Pinal County's newly elected sheriff will start his tenure with major plans to revamp the Sheriff's Office.
Paul Babeu, 39, beat out incumbent Chris Vasquez, a Democrat, making him the first Republican to hold that title.
Republicans also won their first Board of Supervisors seat in Pinal, which has grown dramatically in the past few years.
Bryan Martyn beat Mary Shope, a Democrat, and Elliott Fisher, an independent, in the District 2 race.
Babeu, a Queen Creek-area resident, beat Vasquez by more than 7,000 votes, carrying 51 percent of the vote, according to the Pinal County Web site.
A Massachusetts native, Babeu is a lifelong Republican and held elected offices in his home state for six years as county commissioner and city councilor.
He was a Chandler police officer and president of the Chandler Law Enforcement Association, a police union, before taking a leave to campaign.
On Wednesday, Babeu talked about his plans for when he takes office in January .
"I will work very hard . . . to improve training, provide the proper equipment and bring accountability to the Sheriff's Office," he said.
Among his goals are:
• Installing computers in every deputy vehicle.
• Training deputies and detention officers in CPR and first aid.
• Replacing photo-enforcement vans with active deputies.
• Improving response times.
• Increasing the number of deputies and detention officers trained in enforcing immigration laws.
Babeu said he will not pursue immigration raids like the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, but he will form partnerships with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol and ensure deputies arrest anyone whose residency is unclear.
"It'll be a dramatic change," Babeu said.

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