Candidate for
Sheriff/Coroner/Public Administrator; County of Monterey

Meet Commander Jim Cronin The next Sheriff of Monterey County

Lieutenant Jim Cronin is from two second generation immigrant families. Both of his grandparents on his father's side were brought over from Ireland to work the oil fields in Taft, California soon after the Easter Rebellion. His grandfather on his mother's side, Louis Plesche, immigrated from an ethnic German community in what is now Slovenia in the early 1900s. Jim was born in Salinas on December 8, 1948, the first of four boys born to June and Connie Cronin. Jim attended Sacred Heart Grammar School and graduated from Palma High School in 1967. While at Palma Jim was an active in one of the first Police Explorer posts in the nation. On graduation from Palma Jim attended Hartnell College were he was active in student government and the college newspaper. Jim paid his way through Hartnell, first working as a summer aid with Operation Shoe Strings in Seaside, and then as a union hod carrier for Del Webb Inc. at Fort Ord.

After graduating from Hartnell with an Associates Degree in History, Jim attended San Jose State for one year, and then transferred to California State University, Fresno where he graduated on the Deans List in June of 1972 with a Bachelors Degree in Social Science. While at CSUF, Jim worked for the Hard Times Ranch as an all around ranch hand, feeding, cleaning, breaking and training horses.

In the June of 1971, Jim went to work for Hydro Conduit Corporation in a summer job as a production worker. As a member of the Machinist and Aero Space Workers Union, Jim rose rapidly, moving to batch plant operator, to quality control inspector and then yard foreman. Jim's leadership was recognized by both his co-workers and the management. While he was still working on his BA at CSUF, Jim was elected by his co-workers to negotiate a new contract. Soon after getting his BA in Social Science, Jim was selected by management as superintendent of the Hydro Conduit plant in Henderson, NV. As the number two person at the plant Jim was responsible for overseeing production and shipping for the plant.

In the fall of 1974 Jim quit to return to Salinas. After a short stint assisting his father in running Ambler Park Water Company, Jim went to work at CTF, Soledad as a Correctional Officer. On October 26, 1976 Sheriff Jack Davenport swore in Jim as a Monterey County Correctional Deputy. After graduating from the 41st Police Academy at Gavilan College at the top of his class, Jim worked the old Alisal Street Jail, Rehab, and the new jail. Because of his expertise in gangs developed in the State Prison system, Jim was first assigned to court security during a series of murder trials involving the Nuestra Familia prison gang, and then as the acting supervisor of the high security Nuestra Familia holding facility in the old jail after the NF rioted at the new jail. In May of 1977, eighteen months after coming to the department, Jim was assigned to patrol in the Salinas office. In Salinas Jim served as a patrolman as well as a Field Training Officer, responsible for training and evaluating new deputies. As a patrol deputy, Jim was also assigned to the Tactical Team (riot team) and the SWAT Team. In the summer of 1984, while still working patrol Jim put him self through the Salinas School District's High Intensity Language Training (HILT) course in Spanish so he could better communicate with the communities of Pajaro and Castroville where he often was assigned.

Because of his ability to relate to all sides of an issue, Jim was regularly assigned to police labor disputes. Jim became known as the "Huelga Master" of the department because for the number of strikes he was assigned to.

In September of 1982 Jim was assigned to the Special Enforcement Team. As a member of that team, Jim worked special assignments as directed by Sheriff Cook. These assignments included assistant SWAT team leader, poacher patrol. Agricultural crime investigations, arson task force investigations, high-risk search warrant service, marijuana eradication and assistance to the Sheriff's Narcotics unit. As part of SED Jim made the first of many hand-to-hand undercover drug buys

In September of 1984 Jim was promoted to Investigations, and was assigned to the Narcotics Team. As a working Nark, Jim made hand-to- hand buys of marijuana, meth, heroin, cocaine, crack, and designer drugs from San Ardo to Pajaro. During the service warrants on meth labs in Parkfield, Jim discovered evidence of a major, multi-state methamphetimine ring operating from our county. As a result of this evidence, Jim was assigned as the lead investigator of a joint DEA/IRS Drug and Tax Evasion Task Force. Jim was sworn in as a Special Deputy US Marshal to allow him to pursue this investigation across state lines. Jim worked this investigation in California, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Kansas and Missouri. This investigation resulted in the conviction of the ringleaders and the seizure of several meth labs. As part of this task force Jim and his partner started an investigation in Moss Landing that resulted in the seizure of a multi-ton shipment of Thai marijuana from a ship San Francisco bay and the disruption of a major smuggling ring.

As a Narcotics Investigator, Jim was widely recognized in the county as an expert in Narcotics. He testified an expert in various facets of narcotic trafficking in Municipal and Superior Courts, as will as Federal Courts. Jim was called several times as an expert by our District Attorney's Office to assist other county police agencies. Jim conducted training classed for the Sheriff's Department, the Highway Patrol, and the DA's Office as well as making video training tapes for the DA's Office. As a narcotic investigator, Jim brought the first personal computer into the Narcotics unit, and pioneered the use of work processing and data base software in the enforcement of drug crimes. Jim was also responsible for developing the first telephonic search warrant protocol for Monterey County. Jim is presently a lifetime member of the California Narcotics Association, CNOA, and is still active in that organization.

In January of 1987, Sheriff Bud Cook promoted Jim to Sergeant. As a patrol Sergeant, Jim worked out of the King City Office for a short time, and then transferred to the Salinas station. At the Salinas Station Jim was responsible for supervising up to 18 deputies who patrolled an area from Aromas and Pajaro in the North, Marina and Los Laurels Grade in the West, and Gonzales in the South.

While working as the midnight sergeant, Jim was dispatched to a report of a bear wandering through the lettuce fields near Alisal and Blanco in Salinas. Jim directed his shift to use their sirens to herd the bear up a tree on Foster Road. With the assistance of PG&E, Pacific Bell, SPCA, and Fish and Game, and Salinas Police officers, the bear was safely removed from the tree and transported back to the Los Padres Forrest. Jim and his watch received a letter of commendation from Richard Ward of the Monterey County SPCA for "insuring the live capture of the bear" and exhibiting "a great concern for the safety of my (SPCA) staff, the press, and the general public".

In addition to supervising his shift, Jim served as the Field Training Sergeant for Salinas and was assigned at the SWAT entry team leader.

In January of 1989 Jim was placed in charge of the Special Enforcement Detail. As the SED sergeant Jim supervised a team of 5 deputies who used marked and un-marked cars, as well as 4 wheel drives, bicycles and motorcycles to combat special problems in the county. Artichoke thieves in Castroville, trespassing motorcycles in Toro Park, Poaching in Parkfield, gill netting on the Carmel River, anti-gang patrol, cock fighting, high risk search warrants, assistance with narcotic investigations were all regular assignments of the SED Unit. As SED sergeant Jim led the team on some of the first environmental crime enforcement operations in the county.

While SED Sergeant Jim continued as the SWAT Entry Sergeant, and the Tactical Team Sergeant. As the SWAT Sergeant Jim coordinated Security of the Pope's visit to Carmel, the NATO Defense Ministers visit to Monterey, and the campaign visits of Vice President Dan Quale, and Presidential candidate Bill Clinton. As SWAT Sergeant, Jim coordinated several Basic SWAT training courses that MCSO conducted at Fort Ord. Chief of Police Rick Metcalf of King City PD is one of many SWAT officers who received their basic SWAT Training from Sergeant Cronin.

During the Loma Prieta earthquake Jim led our Sheriff's Department efforts to assist Hollister during the first phase of the recovery, and later supervised the 24-hour security team sent to Moss Landing Island to assist the Marine Lab and other businesses recover from the disaster.

As SED Sergeant Jim was responsible for supervising the department's marijuana eradication efforts and with coordinating with the activities of the state's CAMP program and the Federal JTF-6 program efforts in Monterey County. While SED Sergeant Jim organized the first computerized database of marijuana seizures, and trained his troops in using a PC to prepare search warrants. Prior to this SED deputies tape recorded the search warrant requests and then waited for a record clerk to type it. The use of a computer to prepare search warrants resulted in a savings of time as well as better warrants.

Because of his expertise in Narcotics, Jim and his team were regularly lent out to assist the regular narcotics unit. Assisting a Federal Narcotics Task Force, Jim wrote the search warrant that led to the first vehicle forfeiture in Monterey County History. While assisting Salinas PD during Operation Golden Weight, Jim and his team surveyed a suspected drug dealer to the Mexican Border where he discovered over $10,000 in cash hidden in the vehicle.

In October 1992 the new sheriff, Norm Hicks cut the SED Sergeant position and transferred Jim to the Monterey Station where he worked as relief sergeant. Jim eventually used his seniority to transfer back to Salinas where he continued as the SWAT Entry Team leader and as the FTO sergeant. As the senior SWAT sergeant, Jim was responsible for selecting personnel, as well as making recommendations on equipment selection. As SWAT sergeant he worked with Chief Deputy Chuck Foster to upgrade the SWAT Team weaponry, bringing the MP-5 weapons family, and the first new anti-sniper rifles to the team. As a certified weapons, tear gas instructor, distraction device instructor, and reduced lethality weapon instructor, Jim worked to upgrade the training of the team and to better coordinate the SWAT team and the Hostage Negotiators team into one close working unit.

In 1996, Jim was trained as one of the first PEER Counselors for the department. The MCSO PEER Counselor program is intended to give department employees an opportunity to talk to someone who understands the pressures they are facing about marital, financial, alcohol or other problems that may be bothering them. The PEER Counselor program is designed to help troubled employees bridge the gap between talking to their buddies and talking to a professional in dealing with their problems.

During the floods of 1992 Jim was first assigned to the Sheriff's command post at the mouth of the Carmel Valley, and then as the Sheriff's disaster coordinator for the Pajaro Valley. Jim still keeps a hand made, flood stained doily given to him by a farm worker from Pajaro on his wall as a reminder that most of the people deputies deal with really appreciate the job they do.

As the day watch sergeant, Jim assisted and encouraged Deputy Pat Homan to form the first multi agency environmental crimes group in the count. This working group, consisting of the Sheriff's Department, Environmental Health, Building & Planning, Vehicle Abatement, the DA's Office, and others were responsible for the removal of the notorious "Abe and Furgies" wrecking yard in Prundale. This unit has evolved into the Environmental Task Force.

In the fall of 1996 Jim finally accomplished two of his long-term goals. First, and most important to Jim, he finally convinced Sarah Borchard to marry him, 26 years after he first asked her to do so. Second, he was promoted to Lieutenant and given command of the Roger Barber Sheriff's Station in King City by Sheriff Norm Hicks.

As the Commander of the station Jim has responsibility for a staff of twenty-one deputies, one DARE deputy, four sergeants, one crime prevention specialist, and one records specialist. The area of responsibility for the station stretches from Gonzales in the North to Camp Robbers in the South to Parkfield and the Bitterwater area on the East to the Coast Ridge Road in the Los Padres National Forrest on the West. The station is responsible for the largest geographical area of the three Sheriff's Stations.

On taking command of the station, Jim discovered that over 50% of the deputies at the station had transfers pending to move from the station. Jim dealt with the morale problem by working to make the station a more desirable working location. He succeeded, and today there is a waiting list to come the station.

One of the first problems that Jim tackled was the problems with AG crimes. Jim fought the bureaucracy to move the department representative on the State Rural Crime Task Force from a civilian position in Salinas to a working Deputy at the station. Today, deputy Billy Plank is the President of the Task Force, and is working closely with Assemblymen Salinas and Keeley as well as State Senator McPherson and AG leaders to pass Assembly Bill 879 which would bring state funding for regional rural crime prevention programs. The program covering Monterey County would include deputies, detectives, and prosecutors from coastal counties from San Mateo to Ventura.

Soon after being promoted to lieutenant, Jim was elected by his fellow lieutenants as one of the negotiating representatives for the Safety Management unit of the Deputy Sheriff's Association. As the representative Jim has negotiated three successive contracts between the management of Monterey County and the DSA and Operating Engineers, Local 3, AFL/CIO. Jim was very involved in bring the stalemate on the 1999 contract to an end. Jim wrote letters to the local papers, and then worked with Sheriff Sonne' in establishing a "back channel" contact with COA Sally Reed, which led to the successful resolution of the contract problems and a new 5 year contract which was ratified by over 90% of the entire DSA.

After the station received three additional deputies through the COPS-More grant program, Jim reorganized the station to better serve the needs of the south county communities by establishing four deputy slots to focus on community problems. Jim worked with Sergeant Stacy Gregory to establish the Sheriff's Mounted Search Unit. This unit is made up of 60 civilian volunteers and four department members who donate their time, horses, and equipment to assist the department with searches and other activities where the use of horses would be beneficial. Jim commanded this unit as a collateral assignment to his command of his station.

In 1999, after two incidents where SWAT deputies were accidentally shot, Jim was also given in command of the Sheriff's SWAT team as an additional collateral assignment. As SWAT commander Jim works closely with the Hostage Negotiations Team to resolve critical incidents. In over fifteen years of SWAT operations, no one, hostage, suspect or deputy, has ever been seriously hurt in a SWAT mission that Jim has supervised or commanded.

In December of 2001, Sheriff Sonne' reorganized the department and assigned Jim as the commander of the Investigations Division. Now located in Salinas Jim of responsible for management of investigations for the entire county, as well as the forensic laboratory in Salinas and the evidence storage facility.

Jim and his wife Sarah now live near Lake San Antonio where they have just finished building a new house and barn. Their daughter Samantha Borchard is a recent graduate from dental hygienist school, and lives in the Oxnard area. Their son, Jeff Borchard works in the construction industry in the Salinas area. In his spare time Jim assists Sarah and daughter Sam in raising, training and showing American Quarter Horses.