He is passionate about this process. Axland told the Arizona Daily Sun that if there’s one thing she’s always aspired to, it’s new challenges.

Axland is well versed in the area where he hopes to serve as sheriff. He lived in Coconino County for his 30 years, 27 of which he spent wearing a CCSO-issued uniform.

Axland’s career with the sheriff’s office began in 1996 when he was hired as a detention officer at the county jail. After that, he worked as a road patrol and was based in Page for many years.

“I worked on boat patrols and did a lot of work on the reservation and above. Sheriff Bill Privil at the time restructured the organization,” Axland recalled.

As a newly appointed lieutenant, Axland was put in charge of both the area patrol unit and the relatively new Page Prison, which was built at the same time as the Flagstaff facility in 2000.

It was difficult to run both divisions at Page.

“At the time, when I was talking to the sheriff about this, I reminded him, ‘I haven’t worked in prison for 17 years.’ Rand said.

According to the current chief of staff, he was fine—more than fine.

“We were able to use some of what was going on in prison to train other agencies. It was unprecedented, but we were able to do it,” Axland said. “We have been able to work with the Page Police Department and the Parks Service to bring law enforcement on the ground and develop training programs for prisons.”

Axland worked with a small staff to conduct cross-training between MPs and detention staff to ensure the 48-bed temporary detention facility was always fully staffed.

He said he enjoyed the position so much that he envisioned retiring with Page and ending his career balancing duties related to both prisons and patrol units.

The very job he thought would last forever may have been the training ground that ultimately motivated Axland to become the next sheriff.

“Unbeknownst to me, the sheriff at the time said, ‘This will prepare you for bigger things,'” Axland said.

Sure enough, nine months into Sheriff Jim Driscoll’s first term, Mr. Axland was approached for the county chief of staff. The appointment meant he had to uproot his life in Page and move to Flagstaff.

“We decided it would be a great opportunity for us. My wife went to work here at the health department,” Axland said. That was in 2017.

Now, Axland hopes CCSO’s community-first culture will continue into the future.

“I consider myself fortunate to have worked under such a great division for 27 years. “We have a lot of really great things going on right now. We have a lot of great programs by different departments.

As sheriff, Axland said he would focus on reviving the Exodus program, which was halted when COVID-19 safety protocols had to be implemented. Exodus is a 90-day treatment program designed to help inmates fight addiction while in custody and work towards achieving sobriety.

Axland hopes that Exodus will be revived and run alongside the Path to New Communities program. This is because both of these programs are designed to combat recidivism, the tendency of offenders to reoffend.

If elected sheriff, Axland’s other priorities will be drug enforcement and addressing the opioid epidemic associated with Coconino County.

“One of the big problems is the drugs coming in from the South,” Axland said.

To address this issue, he wants the county’s K9 unit to be expanded.

In Coconino County, patrols had been without a four-legged lieutenant for about six years, until Dex and his handler, Corporal Ben Wybel, joined the force about a year ago.

“Dogs are great tools that we can use,” says Axland. “If we increase these K9s, it will help us in terms of the influx of drugs into our community. [of drugs] It’s located at the intersection of Interstate 40, Interstate 17, and Interstate 89, so some pass by. The more we can remove from our area, or stop people from being brought into our area, the better off we will be. ”

Axland also wants to lead a security agency that serves the needs of the community.

“We attend a lot of community gatherings and listen to people. Attendance is very high,” he said.

Axland said residents’ concerns about speeding and disabled drivers on Townsend-Winona Road are shared in areas like Donnie Park. At Mt Elden Estate, neighbors are complaining about the effects of snow play and illegal parking.

Axland said he wanted to create a new special enforcement unit tasked with addressing these region-specific concerns.

“This will be a force that will patrol the county and help wherever it is needed,” he said. “Right now, our staffing level is at the point where we can’t stop and refocus. This will be a team that can focus and work on specific needs.”

The problem is that CCSO faces the same problem faced by government agencies across the country: staffing shortages. Before Mr. Axland creates a special enforcement unit, he needs to make sure the department has enough staff on the payroll.

He said he has a plan for recruitment and retention, which includes building on the foundation CCSO has already laid.

“With this new salary plan that we introduced last year, we have had a lot of support from our supervisory board,” Axland said. “This translates into a pay scale with some certainty about what our uniforms will look like over the years. I am really lucky to have achieved that because I can see if I can earn

CCSO is now actively recruiting officers at events and on social media. Axland said CCSO will continue to take a proactive approach to hiring under his leadership.

In other words, the ministry is not just waiting for would-be lawmakers to approach. They will actively recruit.

As for retention, Axland wants to keep some of the CCSO’s current strategies for boosting mental health and morale among legislators and private sector workers alike.

“Every time we see people going through a rather traumatic event that could be different for you and for me based on our upbringing and what is important to us, we We will provide support,” he said. “You’re not a tough cop anymore, so go home and deal with it and get back to work tomorrow morning. We need to keep our people long-term and invest in them. It’s really important to us.” That was it.”

CCSO has implemented a counseling-based program called “Heal a Hero,” giving all employees access to an anonymous wellness app. With this app, CCSO employees can get support from outside counselors at any time of the day or night.

“Perhaps one of our biggest challenges is mental health. We’re getting a lot of suicidal calls from people we’re dealing with,” Axland said.

He attended training in San Diego to become a mental health first aid trainer. CCSO offers mental health first aid training for the general public, but the length of the entire program is his eight hours. Axland said he wanted to make the training more accessible by reducing lockdown times and increasing opportunities for community members to engage with his CCSO on the subject.

“It’s our job, it’s our community,” he said. “The real advantage for us is that the people we are hiring now really want to serve their communities and genuinely want to make a difference in a way that helps others. It’s not ‘I want to drive fast, have a gun, wear a shiny uniform’. For them, it means being able to help people. ”

According to Axland, that community-first ethos is the driving force behind his candidacy. He believes his lieutenant’s role is to save lives and serve his neighbors.

That’s why the 51-year-old spends a lazy weekend collecting signatures for his candidacy with his wife and pet pug.

“Now I really enjoy going to places I go and getting autographs. Whether it’s Lupe or Paige, I attend every event,” he said. “We got to know a lot of new people.”