Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll announced last week his selection of Bret Axlund to fill the position of Chief Deputy for the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

As Chief Deputy, Axlund will serve as Driscoll’s number two in CCSO’s operations and administrative duties.

Axlund has served the sheriff’s office since 1996, and has been serving as a lieutenant for the Page patrol district and detention facility since 2013. He has also worked at the Flagstaff detention facility and served the San Diego Sheriff’s Department prior to his time in Coconino County.

Axlund has been involved in programs and public education that includes boating safety classes, Drug Impairment Training for Education Professionals (DITEP), Page’s Freshman Focus events, and active shooter response training.  He is a certified Arizona Peace Officer and Standards General instructor, Drug Recognition Expert/Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus instructor, Marine Theft instructor, Boating Education instructor, and certified Field Training Officer.

The sheriff’s office said of Axlund in a press release, “[He] brings with him multi-faceted and versatile experience in patrol, investigations, search and rescue, detention, community relations, administration, and organizational leadership.”

They continued: “[Axlund’s] professionalism and leadership skills are well recognized throughout the region.  He is dedicated to creating and strengthening local, state, federal and tribal partnerships and ensuring effective communications. He has a strong historical understanding of our agency and the ability to seek new and innovative solutions as we advance into a new era of policing.”

Axlund has been with the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) since January 1996.  Bret graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Criminal Justice / Business Administration degree and is a graduate of the Arizona Leadership Program (formerly known as Leadership in Police Organizations). He most recently has been serving as the Page Lieutenant managing Page District Patrol Operations as well as the Page Detention facility.

While Auxlund has been serving as the Lieutenant of the Page Patrol District and Detention Facility since 2013, he also served as a Detention Officer at our Flagstaff facility and worked for the San Diego Sheriff’s Department prior to working for Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. Axlund was a senior boat patrol officer for the Page Boat Patrol Program for over ten years. He was instrumental in implementing the CCSO Dive Team and serves as the current Dive Team Coordinator. He is very active in community outreach and education programs such as he has helped manage grants for the Boat Patrol Program and for Governor’s Office DUI/OUI Programs. He received the 2010 Veterans of Foreign Wars Officer of the Year Award.

“[Axlund’s] professionalism and leadership skills are well recognized throughout the region. He is dedicated to creating and strengthening local, state, federal and tribal partnerships and ensuring effective communications. He has a strong historical understanding of our agency and the ability to seek new and innovative solutions as we advance into a new era of policing."