Every day, members of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department put their lives on the line. Some days are uneventful and other days are full of danger. And some days, their dedication to the job leads them to perform great acts of heroism.

This area of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department website is dedicated to the members of our Department who have made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting and representing our community.

On August 10, 2005, at approximately 7:52pm, Deputy Timothy Graham responded to a suspicious person call at the Circle K located at Ajo Highway and Kinney Road. The suspicious person was identified as Aaron Kenneth Swyers; Deputy Graham had previous contact with Aaron Swyers.... more

Deputy Graves was working a sensitive and dangerous undercover assignment on the night of January 21, 1986. He and a passenger were traveling east on Speedway Boulevard on Deputy Graves’ motorcycle. As they approached the intersection of Speedway and Alvernon, a car turned into their path. The motorcycle struck the car in the rear passenger door and Deputy Graves was thrown to the pavement.... more

Deputy Calvillo and Sergeant Craig Newburn were working off duty guarding movie equipment outside the Wagon Wheel Post Bar in Avra Valley. At approximately 7:30pm, they were approached by a patron of the bar who told them there had been a fight in the bar, and one of the participants was now in the parking lot with a gun, waiting for his adversary to come out. Deputy Calvillo and Sergeant Newburn found... more

At 6:00pm on November 15, 1953, the Sheriff’s Department responded to a call that a pedestrian had been struck by a car. Deputy Jack Brierly proceeded to the incident location on his motorcycle, heading west on Speedway. With lights flashing and siren blaring, he sped toward the accident. As he neared Swan Road, a car turned north across his path. Deputy Brierly’s motorcycle struck the side of the car.... more

On Sunday, August 8, 1948, Guy Rockefeller and six friends were hiking in Sabino Canyon. Guy became stranded on a narrow ledge about five hundred feet above Sabino Creek. One of his friends hiked five miles to the ranger station for help. The Sheriff’s Department was notified and Deputy John Anderson, Chief Criminal Investigator, went to the scene with ropes and other equipment.... more

On October 21, 1928, eighteen-year-old William Hyatt set off on a hunting trip in the Oracle area. When he failed to return the next day, his mother called the Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff James McDonald sent a posse of deputies and volunteers to search the area. They found nothing that day. The next day George Peck and Charles Mayse offered to search the area from their planes....more

Cattle rustling was, and is, a very profitable crime. The county employed rangers to help combat this problem. On December 2, 1914, County Ranger James A. Mercer, accompanied by rancher Robert Fenton, went to the small ranch of J. Padilla in an area north of Pantano, Arizona. Ranger Mercer was investigating a report that Padilla was in possession of a stolen calf. As Ranger Mercer and Mr. Fenton...more

Calistro Villareal was of a breed of desperados that would be found any day of the week frequenting the many bars in Ajo, Arizona during the years around 1913. In the early morning hours of January 21, 1913, Mr. Villareal, reportedly drinking heavily, gambling, and generally acting rowdy with a group of cronies in the tent of Lorenzo Villa, began to create a disturbance. At 2:00 in the morning, ...more

In 1883, the Pima County Jail was located in the basement of the newly erected courts building. One commissioned head jailer along with three non-commissioned assistants were employed by Pima County Sheriff Robert Paul. While performing his duties on Sunday, May 4, 1883, Andrew W. Holbrook, Head Jailer, received complaints from several prisoners that breakfast had been distributed on dirty dishes. ...more