Vol. 39, No. 4 'Courteous Vigilance' April 2005 Retired from agency in 2000 as a lieutenant Senate confirms Vanderpool's appointment as DPS director When Roger Vanderpool retired from the Department as a lieu- proved the governor’s appointment. tenant in February 2000, returning to DPS as its director wasn’t a With the appointment, Vanderpool, 52, replaces Dennis Garrett, blip on anybody’s radar screen, especially his. who retired in early January, as director. Since At the time of his retirement, his sights were set Garrett’s retirement, Lt. Col. David Felix has served as on becoming the next sheriff of Pinal County. When interim director of the agency which employs about elected to that post in the November 2000 general 2,000 people, including some 1,100 officers. election, he then directed full attention to overhaul- Vanderpool, a Casa Grande resident, comes to the ing a sheriff’s office that many within Pinal County Department backed by a solid résumé in law enforce- had lost confidence in. ment. Evidently, the voters liked the transformation that He has been a law enforcement officer for more they had seen occur in the sheriff’s office by over- than 28 years, beginning this career as a military po- whelmingly reelecting him last fall to a second four- liceman in the U.S. Army. year term as Pinal County sheriff. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, With Gov. Janet Napolitano’s appointment as the Vanderpool continued his law enforcement career with Department’s next chief, Vanderpool becomes the first the Goshen, Ind., Police Department. In February 1980, Arizona sheriff to serve as director of the state law he entered the DPS academy and, after graduation, he enforcement agency. drew Kayenta as his first assignment with the High- “To me, being appointed as director is a fantastic ROGER VANDERPOOL way Patrol. honor,” Vanderpool said. “I especially look forward From Kayenta, he transferred to Lakeside as a to returning to an agency as well respected as DPS is locally and Highway Patrol officer before accepting an assignment with DPS nationally. It’s an honor to return and work with so many good men Criminal Investigations in Show Low. When promoted to sergeant and women while providing law enforcement services and support in 1987, he transferred to Casa Grande where he continued to work throughout the state of Arizona. in Criminal Investigations. “I think I bring a whole new perspective to the director’s posi- Following his promotion to lieutenant in 1994, he became the tion. There’s never been a sheriff who has been DPS director.” Highway Patrol’s District 6 commander in Casa Grande. In 1999, he By law, Vanderpool’s nomination had to be approved by the accepted a CI commander’s position in Casa Grande. state Senate before he could begin his 5-year appointment as the He retired from DPS as commander of the Western Region Orga- Department’s seventh full-time director. Vanderpool’s appointment became official March 22 when the state Senate unanimously ap- CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Felix becomes deputy director, four receive appointments Lt. Col. David A. Felix became the Department’s first deputy nis A. Garrett’s five years as DPS director. Reflecting on his five director in more than five years when he was elevated to that years as DPS director, Garrett said having a deputy director in position by new DPS Director Roger Vanderpool March 28. place would have been the one thing he would have done differ- Felix’s promotion, along with the appointments of the ently Department’s first two female to assistant director-level positions, With her promotion, Ramming replaces Felix as CJSD chief. Georgene Ramming and Commander Pennie Gillette, were effec- Ramming had been serving as CJSD chief of staff under Felix. tive April 2 as were the appointments of Commander Jack Lane Prior to her appointment as chief of the Agency Support Divi- and Mikel Longman to assistant director-level positions. sion, Gillette was commander of the Narcotics Enforcement Bu- Felix, who has served since January as the Department’s in- reau in Tucson. terim director, was the agency’s assistant director of the Criminal Lane leaves his position as the Department’s legislative liai- Justice Support Division (CJSD) for the past five years. son to command the Highway Patrol Division while Longman, The deputy director’s position remained vacant during Den- CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 Page 2 April 2005 The Digest From Deputy Director Vanderpool ... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 nized Crime and Narcotics Division. David A. Felix's He is a graduate of the FBI national academy, the Arizona State University Public Executive Institute and the Drug Enforcement Administration's Task Force Commanders School. H also participated in the University of Arizona’s Center for Vantage Rural Leadership (Project CNTRL) program. During his career, Vanderpool has been the recipient of many Point awards, including Arizona Administrators state employee of the year, American Legion police officer of the year and a Director’s Commendation Award for his assistance with enhancements for the Although sometimes painstaking, the selection process Canine Unit. He also received a U.S. Congressional commendation for DPS director works. After his appointment was unani- for his community policing programs. mously approved by the state senate last month, Pinal County The Wabash, Ind. native is a member of the National Sheriff’s Sheriff Roger Vanderpool should be in place as DPS director Association, FBI Associates and the American Legion. Addition- by the time you read this Vantage Point. ally, Vanderpool is a board member of the Casa Grande Boys and Before addressing Sheriff Vanderpool’s appointment, I Girls Club. A founding member of the Pinal County Peace Officers would like to sincerely thank all for your unbridled patron- Memorial Board, Vanderpool also serves as president of the Arizona age, patience and professionalism while I served as interim Sheriff’s Association and the Pinal County Law Enforcement Asso- director and for the concern, encouragement and prayers I ciation. received from you during my recent convalescence from sur- Last year, he served on the governor’s blue-ribbon panel cre- gery. Such support was truly inspirational during the most ated to examine the state correctional system after two inmates at stressful and difficult times for my wife Sharon and me. the Arizona State Prison-Lewis Complex held two corrections offic- As I have said on many occasions, our new director is ers hostage for 15 days. This panel made 69 recommendations to well known and respected not only at DPS but throughout improve the state’s penal system. the state as well. Vanderpool was among more than 100 applicants to apply for Additionally, during his four plus years as sheriff of Pinal the DPS position and was chosen from a final pool of three. The County, he was fast becoming one of the most respected law other two finalists were Manuel Padilla, a California Highway Patrol enforcement administrators on the national level. He is a man assistant chief, and Jerry Oliver, a former assistant Phoenix police of integrity whose dedication to duty and leadership no doubt chief who now serves as a law enforcement liaison for the state will be fortified by his energy, focus and vision. Attorney General’s Office. He comes to DPS with more than 30 years of experience in “I think Sheriff Vanderpool will be an excellent director,” law enforcement, including 20 at the Arizona Department of Napolitano told Phoenix-area media when announcing Vanderpool’s Public Safety. He knows our Department well, having climbed appointment during a March 10 news conference. “His years of through the ranks to lieutenant before retiring some five years experienced leadership and extensive background in Arizona’s law ago to run for sheriff in Pinal County. enforcement issues make him the perfect candidate for director.” There’s no question that this agency faces some tough As Pinal County sheriff, Vanderpool was praised by community challenges in the days to come. Issues such as officer parity, leaders for increasing community involvement and finding more ef- continued modernization of our communications technology, ficient methods to run his department. improving and increasing our fleet of patrol cars, recruitment Under his leadership, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office increased of officers, crime lab interests, civilian employee compensa- participation in Block Watch programs while establishing a volun- tion, and domestic terrorism concerns are just a few of the teer posse. His department also created one the nations’s first cold- challenges awaiting our new director. case squads run by retired homicide investigators. All these issues, plus more, will have to be confronted He has been married to his wife, Valerie, for more than 30 years. through a budget that is perennially tight as all state agen- They have a son, Chris. cies, not just DPS, continue to encounter an increasing num- ber of state-mandated responsibilities. The Digest is published monthly by the DPS Training and Manage- Our new director is very aware of these challenges and ment Services Bureau for the employees and retirees of the many more that affect everyday operations at DPS. With his Arizona Department of Public Safety. experience and extensive background in law enforcement, there’s little doubt that Roger Vanderpool is a perfect fit to Employees are invited to submit story ideas or stories for publication. Stories or story ideas may be submitted to The Digest by mail, EMS lead our Department. or Telephone (602-223-2313). As Pinal County sheriff, he established himself as a leader very capable of achieving departmental goals despite restric- Roger L.