Pinal County sheriff wins national award for achievements

FLORENCE, AZ - A sheriff from Arizona has received a national award for his work.

The National Sheriffs’ Association, the largest group of law enforcement officers in the United States, announced Friday its selection of Paul Babeu, sheriff of Pinal County, as winner of the 2011 Ferris E. Lucas Award for Sheriff of the Year.

Babeu is the first sheriff from Arizona to earn the honor, said Tim Gaffney, spokesman for the Pinal County’s Sheriff’s Office.

The award will be presented to Babeu on June 19 at the NSA Annual Conference in St. Louis.

He has been selected for his efforts to improve the position of sheriff on a county, state and national level, and for his extensive community involvement, said Fred Wilson, staff liaison for the National Sheriffs’ Association.

The award, created in 1995, is named after former NSA President Ferris E. Lucas, who served in law enforcement for more than 50 years.

Babeu began his first term in 2008 and has since become one of the most progressive sheriffs in the country, Wilson said.

Babeu’s achievements as sheriff include cutting his deputies’ response time in half, establishing a regional SWAT team and creating the “Citizen Alert Network,” an effort to increase community involvement in law enforcement.

The sheriff is also known for his stance against drug and human trafficking, which has earned him distinction as one of “America’s Toughest Sheriffs on Illegal Immigration,” Wilson said.

This year's award is sponsored by Pursuit Products, Inc.