Juan Camarena
| Candidate Name | Juan Camarena |
| Position Sought | Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner |
| Website / Social Media | www.juancamarenaforsheriff.com Facebook: camarenaforsheriff Instagram: @camarenaforsheriff |
| Why are you running for office? | I will rebuild trust between the community and law enforcement; reduce crime; improve our technology; this will keep us accountable and be more transparent; and make the Sheriff's Office proactive; efficient; and innovative. |
| What makes you qualified for the job? | I have been with the Sheriff’s Office for over 23 years. I started my law enforcement career in the jail, then patrolled the streets throughout Santa Barbara County. I have responded to calls in the areas of Carpinteria, Summerland, Montecito, Isla Vista, unincorporated areas of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Santa Ynez, Solvang, Buellton, Lompoc, and Santa Maria. I was promoted to detective. I was selected as a narcotics detective and then a major crimes detective. Investigating numerous major crimes throughout Santa Barbara County. I was promoted to patrol sergeant. I was selected to the Human Resource Bureau as the HR sergeant. I was promoted to HR Lieutenant. I was the HR Lieutenant for 2 ½ years. I was transferred to the Isla Vista Foot Patrol Station and was the Station Commander for 3 years. In March 2021, I was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Bureau, where I manage all major crimes and person crime detectives. I also manage the Forensics Bureau. As a collateral assignment, I am one of the managers on the SWAT Team. My tenure on the SWAT team spans approximately 19 years. I began on SWAT as an operator, was selected as a team leader, and now I am a SWAT manager. I am bilingual and have a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and a master’s degree in Communications. |
| What are your two main priorities if you win? | My two main priorities are to rebuild trust and reduce crime. |
| How will you collaborate with other governments? | Collaboration is fundamental to effective policing in today’s society. Any person seeking a leadership position must develop the ability to do collaborative work. Collaboration is working with others and finding new ways to solve persistent or long-term problems. To collaborate is first to agree that a problem exists. I will collaborate by being open to outside suggestions, being transparent, and learning about other agency processes to better understand the "why" behind new ideas and problem solving. |
| What are the next two issues that are most important to you? | My next two important issues are to improve technology to keep law enforcement accountable and being more transparent with the public. |
