Vasquez will be considered for sheriff Tuesday
Now that Tuolumne County Sheriff Bill Pooley is officially retired, the county Board of Supervisors will consider appointing his successor at a public meeting Tuesday.
Sheriff’s Capt. David Vasquez has been recommended by Pooley and County Administrator Tracie Riggs to serve the remainder of Pooley’s elected term that runs through 2028. The board is scheduled to consider the appointment at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Pooley retired from the position Thursday following a 34-year career in law enforcement, the last six of which have been as Tuolumne County sheriff. He was most recently reelected in 2022.
County staff says the board could also opt to go through an internal or external recruitment process to fill the position, with public interviews being held for the finalists. The board held public interviews for the district attorney position in 2021 after former DA Laura Krieg was elected as a judge.
A staff report to the board included information about Vasquez’s background that stated he began his law enforcement career in 2001 when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as a military police officer.
Vasquez, 40, served in the Iraq War as a K-9 handler whose mission was to help locate and facilitate the destruction of improvised explosive devices, or IEDS. He also served as part of President George W. Bush’s security detail for multiple West Coast operations, the report stated.
After completing his military service, Vasquez began working for the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office as a deputy in 2009. He served in
various roles with the agency over the years that included SWAT team commander, narcotics detective, sergeant and lieutenant before his latest promotion to captain in 2021.
The report stated Vasquez holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management from Union University, a professional certificate in civic engagement from Pepperdine University, and a master’s degree in executive leadership from the University of Southern California’s School of Public Policy.
Vasquez is also in his fourth year as president of the Curtis Creek Elementary School District board. He’s also served as a youth sports coach for the past 13 years, the report stated.
“Capt. Vasquez is most proud of his beautiful family; wife, Jill Krawchuk, of Twain Harte, and their two daughters, Peyton and Kennedy,” the report stated.
The Tuolumne County Deputy Sheriffs Association, an employee union that represents all deputies, jail staff, dispatchers, district attorney investigators, and probation officers, has also endorsed Vasquez’s appointment to the position.
If the board approves Vasquez’s appointment, County Clerk and Auditorcontroller Debi Bautista will be on hand to immediately swear him into office.