Pogue sworn in as sheriff
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Former Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney, left, administers the oath of office to newly appointed Sheriff Tyson Pogue during the Madera County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday.
From his days chasing ambulances with the Madera Police Department with Madera Tribune editor Glenna Jarvis, Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue has reached the pinnacle of his 19-year career in law enforcement.
Pogue, born and reared in Madera County, got the law enforcement bug in the eighth grade where he was taught by then-Madera County Sheriff John Anderson’s wife.
“She would talk about all the things he did,” Pogue said in an interview in 2019. “It kind of got me interested. It sounded like an exciting life. She always spoke so highly of him. It seemed like a well-respected career. I think that’s what got me hooked on it from the beginning.”
Pogue was officially named the Madera County Sheriff during Tuesday’s Madera County Board of Supervisor’s meeting. Former sheriff and now Madera County Administrator Jay Varney swore him in and his wife, Melissa, pinned on his badge.
“I have served, and will continue to serve, Madera County because I believe in Madera County,” Pogue said at his swearing-in ceremony. “Being a deputy sheriff has never been just a job for me. Being a Madera County deputy sheriff was about providing a service to the community in which I grew up, a community that I love and a community in which I am now raising my own family. I have a vested interest in doing what’s best for Madera County.”
Pogue grew up in Madera County and, after graduating from Yosemite High School, Pogue began work at the Sierra Star. From there, he worked at The Madera Tribune as a paginator.
“I chased ambulances around with Glenna Jarvis,” he said. “I enjoyed that a lot. I caught that bug even further.”
Doing double-duty with the Madera Tribune and going to the Fresno Police Academy, Pogue was hired by Anderson in 2001.
He moved up to the K-9 unit and got his first dog in 2003. He passed the sergeant’s exam and was promoted.
A lieutenant position opened up and he was promoted to that and he swore to himself that was as high as he would get.
Then, Pogue became the undersheriff under Jay Varney and now he is the sheriff.
“If you work hard and constantly do what’s right, you will move forward,” he said. “I couldn’t think of anything else. Now, this is the best job. Out of anything, I don’t think it can get better than this. I love all the people I get to work with. We have the best deputies. The guys that work here are phenomenal. Our people are great. I talk to other agencies and you hear these horror stories. I feel like we’re lucky that we don’t have those.”
Pogue said he was humbled by the board’s decision to promote him to sheriff and will do what he can to uphold their decision.
“I may not know what new challenges we will face tomorrow, but I do know that with the support of our amazing employees, the support of the board, great people like Sheriff Varney, and, most importantly, our community, we will continue to grow and continue to strive to do better.
“I want to commit to you that, as your sheriff, my fundamental duty will be to serve the community — to safeguard lives and property, to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to support and defend the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality and justice.”
