Sheriff’s Office Promotes Two Deputies to Sergeants

Two Churchill County Sheriff’s Office deputies earned new stripes during a promotion ceremony on Sept. 30.

Brian Miller was promoted to patrol sergeant, while John Cannon was promoted to detention sergeant during a ceremony attended by fellow deputies, family, and friends.

Before getting down to business, Orozco recognized Miller for another recent accomplishment. Miller represented the Sheriff’s Office in the Battle of the Badges drag race at Top Gun Drag Strip, losing his first heat before winning the next two and taking home the honors for the department.

Sheriff Lee Orozco told Miller and Cannon that their promotions come with something more important than a new title — responsibility for the people they now lead.

As first-line supervisors, they will be among the greatest influences on the culture of the department, Orozco said. “Deputies watch not only what their supervisors say, but what they do.”

“Culture is not created simply by what is written in policy or stored on a computer,” said Orozco. “Supervisors create it every day through what they encourage, what they correct, what they tolerate, and most importantly, the examples they set.”

Orozco also acknowledged one of the more difficult parts of moving into supervision: leading people who were previously peers. “Yesterday, you were one of the guys. Today, you are the supervisor,” he said.

That change, he said, means making decisions deputies may not like, correcting poor performance, and, at times, disciplining someone who had previously been a co-worker or friend.

“Good supervision is not about being popular,” Orozco said. “It's about being fair, consistent, professional, and willing to address problems when necessary.”

Orozco told Miller that patrol deputies routinely make important decisions in seconds, often with incomplete information and under difficult circumstances. Cannon, he said, will supervise deputies in a detention center operating around the clock, where staff deal with everything from safety and security to medical and mental health issues.

Despite the differences between patrol and detention, Orozco said the expectations for leadership are the same. He encouraged both men to mentor the deputies working for them, saying a supervisor’s legacy can be measured in the people they help develop.

“Today, you are being trusted with something far more important than a new title or a set of stripes,” Orozco said. “You're being trusted with people.”