Scotts Valley local promoted to lieutenant in sheriff’s department

Sergeant Jim Ross, a Scotts Valley resident who has worked for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office for 22 years, will be sworn in as Lieutenant on December 18.
“I am humbled and excited to get to work and I am thankful for this opportunity,” stated Ross. “I have spent half my life in this office, so it’s meaningful for me to be able to take this opportunity and to continue to contribute to this office.”
As Lieutenant, Ross will manage the Sheriff’s Office Recruit Training Program.
“I think he will really shine as the field training manager because he has such a vast experience in the training program, he was a field training officer, he was a field training sergeant, and now he will be managing the program as lieutenant,” said Chief Deputy and Sheriff-elect Jim Hart.
Hart decided to promote Ross in early November after a test and multiple interviews.
“With his whole body of work for the last 22 years, coupled with the great job that he did on the testing process, in my mind he was the best candidate for the job and I promoted him,” explained Hart.
Ross, 44, began in the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office when he was 19 years old as a student worker and community service officer.
From there, he attended the academy and became a full-time deputy in 1992. After being on patrol and serving as a field training officer, Ross was promoted to Sergeant in 2004 and was subsequently in charge of the Field Training Program for nearly half a decade.
Next, Ross ran the San Lorenzo Valley Substation in Felton for approximately three years and established close ties with community members in the area.
“It was a really rewarding experience for me and I say that from the heart,” Ross said. “I was very appreciative of the community support and my working relationship with the community when I was up there for three years — I just can’t say enough about the place.”
Ross’s position before the promotion was Sergeant of the Detective Bureau, where he ran the sex crimes unit. His promotion will formally take effect and he will begin work as Lieutenant on Saturday, Dec. 20.
“He has the attitude of a coach where he really tries to mentor and bring people along and I think he has a real positive approach to teaching new officers or new deputies how to become police officers, and I think he’ll do an outstanding job and he is definitely the right guy for this promotion,” Hart said.
The academy currently has 14 recruits, which is more than Ross has seen in his 22 years with the office. Ross will be managing the students at the academy as well as the recruits and the field training officers.
“It’s going to help us with our staffing and its going to put more bodies out on the street, as far as uniformed officers go, its a win-win situation,” Ross said. “So the goal now is to get them properly trained and trained well.”