Madera sheriff’s department lauds new hires, promotions

Courtesy of Madera County Sheriff’s Department

Over the past month. Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue announced a number of hires and promotions in the Sheriff’s Office. Although some have been on the job for months, Pogue held off an official swearing-in ceremony until last month so family and friends could be in attendance. Receiving promotions from Pogue, left, are Undersheriff Patrick Majeski, Assistant Sheriff Darin McMechan, Lieutenant Robert Blehm, Sergeant Ryan Videgain, Sergeant Drew Kirchert, Sergeant Jeff Noland and Corporal Logan Majeski.

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Over the past several weeks, it has been my pleasure to host multiple swearing-in ceremonies to formally honor new hires and promotions within the department over the last year. Due to COVID, these ceremonies had been postponed to allow family and friends to gather and recognize the achievements of these outstanding individuals.

I am proud to say that despite the many challenges throughout the past year, we hired 23 new employees (14 sworn, 9 civilian). Some day they will be telling their grandkids about their first year as a deputy and the tumultuous time during which they started their careers. During that time, we also promoted 15 individuals in our department.

During a time when many agencies are struggling to hire and retain employees, our department has continued to grow. We have focused on broadening our recruitment efforts over the past five years, and as a result of these measures, we have attracted extremely talented, dedicated, and driven individuals.

The caliber of candidates we have hired has been exceptional, as evidenced by the cadets we have sponsored through the last five academies, most of whom have earned commendations of achievement from their respective classes. We have also made numerous lateral hires of deputies who have transferred from other agencies to be a part of our team.

On the civilian side, we have seen a significant overhaul of our Records Division staffing over the past year, and our entire Civil Division is staffed with new employees. The women in these roles are the first faces the public sees when they enter our facility.

Their positions are the only ones in the department that function as both the “back of the house” as well as the “front of the house,” in terms of public service. Not only do they greet the public with their unwavering positivity and smiles, but they process paperwork and keep things running efficiently behind the scenes. Without their support, we would be unable to serve the community in the capacity that we do.

Our entire department, along with the rest of the country/community, faced unprecedented changes over the last year. We not only navigated COVID, but numerous natural disasters as well. These new staff members not only demonstrated the ability to adapt to and overcome the ever changing landscape of our profession, but have thrived.

Not everyone will understand what it means to sign up for this profession. It often means missing birthdays, Christmas, and school functions. It means putting on a badge and uniform, knowing that alone could make you a target. It means not knowing if you will make it home to your family at the end of every shift. It means split second decision making when lives depend on it, knowing the answers to questions most would never consider, and having the courage to face danger head on no matter the circumstance. For those who choose this career, there is no question all of these uncertainties and sacrifices are worth making in the name of service.

This team took a global pandemic head-on while managing significant change within our organization over the past year. It has been a pleasure seeing their growth, commitment, and pride in the work we do each day. I am proud of the well-rounded, quality team we are building, who consistently go above and beyond to serve, protect, and provide for our residents.