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FLORENCE - Three Pinal County Sheriff's Office staff members have been recognized with awards.

At the Arizona Detention Association's annual conference that began this past Monday, February 25th, Deputy Chief James Kimble was recognized as the 'Jail Administrator of the Year' for the State of Arizona, Chaplain Michael Whitaker was recognized as the 'Jail Chaplain of the Year' and Sheriff Paul Babeu was presented with a plaque thanking him for his support of the association.

Deputy Chief Kimble was recommended for this award because of his strong leadership, positive changes he has made in the Adult Detention Center and because of the fact this was the first Adult Detention Center in Arizona to receive National Accreditation and the first across the Country to obtain the accreditation with a perfect score when evaluated on 594 legal-based standards related to the care and custody of inmates.

Chaplain Whitaker serves as the Religious Services Coordinator at the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, Adult Detention Center. Chaplain Whitaker not only provides services to the inmate/detainee population, as he also ministers and offers counseling to the staff. When he is not working at PCSO, he provides Chaplaincy services throughout Pinal County. Chaplain Whitaker is involved in camp ministry, filling in as an interim pastor and counselor to former inmates and their families as they adjust back into society. He has received training to counsel sex and drug offenders as well as assisting people to stay on track to lead a pro-social life.

It is the mission of the Arizona Detention Association to assist the Sheriffs of Arizona by providing a platform to "Join together all counties concerned with or responsible for the custody and care of persons awaiting trial, serving sentences or otherwise being locally confined to improve the conditions and systems under which such persons are detained."