William Ponce is the 7th Elected Sheriff of La Paz County. A lifelong resident of La Paz County, who was born and raised in Parker. Upon graduating from Parker High School, he left his hometown to serve his country by enlisting in the U.S. Navy. During his military service he served for 5 years on various Navy Carriers assigned to the Flight Deck crash fire rescue unit as an ABH (Aviation Boatswain’s Mate, Aircraft Handler). He spent time in the Arabian Gulf during the Gulf War and Somalia during major conflicts in that region. During his military service he excelled being named sailor of the month and quarter several times and sailor of the year once. In his third year of service, he was meritoriously promoted to E-5 in his job field. After five years of Navy service Sheriff Ponce returned to Arizona to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a law enforcement officer.
In the summer of 1998, he moved to Phoenix where he enrolled in Rio Salado Community College in Tempe, Arizona studying criminal justice. During this time, he was hired by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office as a Detention Officer. Also serving in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1998 -2000. In 1999 he entered the Sheriff’s Office reserve program until leaving employment for a position as a Police Cadet with Quartzsite Police Department. In the summer of 2000, he attended the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy in Phoenix. Upon graduating he returned home to begin his field training with the Quartzsite Police Department. During his tenure at Quartzsite Police Department, he worked in numerous assignments: patrol officer, field training officer, narcotics investigator, training coordinator, patrol sergeant, operations sergeant, narcotics task force operations sergeant and WALETA (Western Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy) Training Staff.
Sheriff Ponce has served in La Paz County Law Enforcement for over two decades. Prior to being elected Sheriff, he most recently was the Chief of Police for the Town of Quartzsite where he served in that capacity for 4 years with great success. Prior to that he served as the Chief of Police for the Colorado River Indian Tribes for 2 years, and 2 and a half years in other assignments to include the patrol division and administration.
The Sheriff has over 6 years of experience as a Chief of Police and over a decade of command level experience.
Professional Development:
In 2017, Sheriff Ponce had the opportunity to attend the FBI National Academy class #269. This program not only developed his level of education in the field of law enforcement, but as a law enforcement leader.
In 2019 Sheriff Ponce completed the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association leadership courses and obtained his Trilogy Leadership Training Award.
Memberships:
International Association of Chiefs of Police 2014- Present
Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police 2014 to Present
Western Arizona Law Enforcement Association 2014-Present
WALEA Vice President 2016
WALEA Vice President 2020
WALEA President 2021
Arizona Sheriff’s Association 2021
Message from the Sheriff:
I am honored and humbled to be able to serve as your Sheriff. It is my goal to bring our level of service to new heights. We are always hindered by the number of Deputies assigned to cover over 4500 square miles of La Paz County, but we must utilize our technology and resources to ensure the safety and security of our County.
I will always strive to provide my staff with the proper training and tools to carry out their assignments in a professional and efficient manner. I will encourage community involvement and interaction from my staff. The success of your La Paz County Sheriff’s Office depends on the trust of the public and I will work to build and maintain that trust.
I believe strongly in professional development, being dedicated to the community I serve. I look forward to the future and seeing the improvements at all levels of service we provide.
William Ponce,
Sheriff La Paz County
Dedicated to Service.