Name: Jesse Santos
Title: Police Officer
Years with SPD: Nine months
Q: What inspired you to become a police officer?
I watched the towers fall on 9/11 from my high school classroom. That permanently impacted my world view and made serving my community and country a priority.
I’m from a “rough” area in Southern California and police officers I dealt with always exemplified safety and strength.
Q: Do you have any prior public safety experience? If so, where?
I spent nine years at the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, in Detention Services. I spent six years as a detention officer and three years as a sergeant.
For a little over one year I was the sergeant who oversaw the maximum security and mental health inmates in the facility.
After that I was the detention academy and training sergeant and also a team leader on the detention special response team/tactical unit.
Q: What was it about Sedona Police Department that made you apply?
I’ve heard nothing but positive things about this department from the public and other officers. I’ve always been drawn more to smaller departments and communities where I feel I can actually see a difference or impact being made. The scenery also doesn’t hurt.
Q: What do you enjoy most about serving the Sedona community?
The community has been extremely supportive and positive even in these trying times, which speaks volumes of the community members’ character, the reputation of our department and our ability to work together.
Q: What are your daily or weekly responsibilities?
Answering calls for service, looking for law violations, contacting people who look like they need some help, arranging services for those in need, attending court, training and being present in my community.
Q: What hobbies do you have away from work?
Being with my family and three dogs, hiking, fishing, hunting, cooking, and I’m an avid long-range precision rifle shooter.
Q: What’s your all-time favorite movie?
“Top Gun.” I feel the need, the need for [reasonable and prudent] speed.
