Sheriff Chris Vasquez, a fourth generation Pinal County resident, is married to Patricia Vasquez residing in Casa Grande. He has four children and four grandchildren. Chris was born in Casa Grande and raised in Eloy.

After graduating from Santa Cruz Valley Union High School, Sheriff Vasquez joined the United States Navy serving two tours of duty in Viet Nam on board the aircraft carrier USS Midway.

The Sheriff has a diverse law enforcement career working in each of the major divisions of the Casa Grande Police Department and Pinal County Sheriff's Office. During his 30-plus-years in law enforcement he has held the positions of patrolman, motorcycle officer, SWAT member, criminal investigator, sergeant, lieutenant, bureau commander and chief deputy and now Sheriff.

Sheriff Vasquez retired from the Casa Grande Police Department as a lieutenant in 1996. Prior to joining the Pinal County Sheriff's Office Chris attended the University of Phoenix receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Management and a Master of Arts in Organizational Management. Sheriff Vasquez also has two Associate  Degrees in Criminal Justice and Paralegal Studies.

He has been with the Sheriff's Office since January 4, 2001, being hired by former Sheriff Roger Vanderpool, now the Director of DPS, as a bureau commander. In July of 2002, Roger promoted him to the position of Chief Deputy. On March 25, 2005, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors appointed Chris as Sheriff of Pinal County. In 2006, Pinal County voted to keep Sheriff Vasquez by a wide margin.

As the Chief Deputy he was charged to manage a department of 350 employees and a budget of more than $23 Million. As the Chief Deputy he worked closely with State, County, City, and Community agencies to resolve problems within our State and County. He helped begin programs aimed at creating a diverse working environment within the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Vasquez also helped improve service delivery by reallocating our workforce, placing additional deputies in patrol during peak times. His experience and education in managing change created a more responsive department to its citizens. He also authored the Department's first five-year strategic plan.

There have been many improvements made since Sheriff Vasquez took office. Sheriff Vasquez has created a fourth patrol region; added sixty-one sworn positions; created an award winning and nationally recognized victim services volunteer unit; converted to black & white patrol vehicles; began a domestic violence fatality review board; began the process of placing computers in patrol vehicles; expanded the communications center; upgraded mobile command center; partnered with county wide drug coalitions to actively `prevent substance abuse in Pinal County. These are just a few of the many accomplishments with much more to come.

 Sheriff Vasquez firmly believes that the Pinal County Sheriff's Office is a highly professional department devoted to improvement, excellence, maintaining citizen satisfaction, and operating on the principles of quality leadership. In order to fulfill the department's mission members must secure and maintain public respect, trust and approval. Our deputies must conduct themselves accordingly. All members of the department will adhere strictly to the Peace Officer Code of Ethics and the Cannons of Police Ethics.