Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone has announced he will not seek a third term and plans to leave office in January.
Penzone called for a news conference on Monday to announce he will not seek re-election for the head of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
VIDEO: Penzone announces retirement, to leave office in January
He was first elected in 2016 and won re-election in 2020.
After Penzone took office in 2017, one of the first big changes he made was closing "Tent City" which was created by the previous sheriff, Joe Arpaio, in 1993.
In November 2022, a federal judge found Penzone to be in civil contempt of court in the same racial profiling case in which his predecessor, Arpaio, was found to be in contempt six years earlier.
Statement from Sheriff Penzone pic.twitter.com/Oj9KCc7sye
— Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (@mcsoaz) October 2, 2023
In April of this year, Penzone admitted detention officers made mistakes that needed to be addressed. This came in response to an ABC15 investigation into an in-custody death.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will be responsible for determining who the interim MCSO sheriff will be, until the next election.
RELATED: Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone admits officers made mistakes in jail death
