After losing a reelection bid in Pima County, Mark Napier will serve as the Cochise County Sheriff's second-in-command starting in 2021.
A Facebook post on the Cochise County Sheriff's Office page Tuesday welcomed Napier as the new chief of staff for the sheriff's department that serves Sierra Vista, Bisbee and their surrounding cities southeast of Tucson near the U.S.-Mexico border.
Dannels, who has been sheriff in Cochise County since 2013, started looking for a new chief of staff "several months ago" the post said, after Thad Smith, Dannels' former chief deputy retired at the end of October.
'Because Mark will be my second in command, I thought it was important to modify the position title to Chief of Staff as he will ultimately be managing all of our staff to include Deputies, Support, and Detention divisions versus the previous title indicating the supervision was for sworn personnel specifically," Dannels said in the Facebook post. "I look forward to a new year with new thoughts, ideas, and interactions with the help of my Command Staff and each of our employees.”
Napier has 39 years of law enforcement experience in four departments, including 21 years with the Tucson Police Department.
He lost his reelection bid against Chris Nanos in a tight race, after receiving 49.66% of the vote.
