Meet the new Chief of Police

A new police chief has made his way to Somerton and his several years in law enforcement is sure to benefit the community.

His name is Jeffery Cavender, an Illinois native who has made his way to the desert southwest.

He started as chief of police for the city of Somerton back in May and has already made major strides for the community. Cavender who’s career in law enforcement has spanned over 30 years is also a certified firefighter and licensed paramedic. This summer, chief Cavender was given his budget for training, that of which was $13,000. Cavender requested more and the city answered and was able to give him an increased budget of $52,000. That’s an increase that’s never been met before. I spoke with chief Cavender about what he hopes to bring to the Somerton community and the department.

“You know one of the things I want to try and do with the department is become more visible in the community, more visible to the public…And we share a pretty good relationship with the community now and I think we have a strong level of trust, but I want to build on that. I want to put a higher level of professionalism in what we do,” said Cavender.

Cavender adds that one of the challenges he has faced as police chief is coming into a department that is behind times. Especially when it comes to training and technology so his goal is to fix all that and implement better service. With the tremendous amount of support from his staff, Cavender says that’s what motivates him everyday.