Amazing Arizonans: Paul Penzone relives law enforcement career, explains importance of faith

PHOENIX — On this episode of Amazing Arizonans, I talk with former Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone.

His law enforcement career spanned over 30 years. He was a police officer in Phoenix for 21 years. For seven of those years, he headed up the Silent Witness program, which encouraged witness to submit tips anonymously and help solve crimes.

In 2012, Penzone ran, but lost, to then Joe Arpaio for sheriff of Maricopa County. In 2016 he was elected to the first of two terms as sheriff. He stepped down from the office in January of this year.

In this episode, we talk about Penzone’s career in law enforcement. He shared with me his successes and what he will miss about the job. But in this discussion, I learned a lot about the other aspects of his life.

He talks about his faith and how it motivates him to serve the community in other ways and how it makes him strive to be a better person. We discuss the diverse ways he has served and the unique way he is serving now in his new position at Blue Cross Blue Shield.

It is always interesting to learn more about someone you know. I thought I knew Paul well, but I loved getting to learn about the civilian servant that he is now. Paul Penzone is a remarkably interesting man who has accomplished a lot in his life, and he’s not done yet.

Amazing Arizonans is available at KTAR.com, the KTAR News app and everywhere you get your podcasts.

The podcast, which debuted in June 2023, has had more than 20 episodes spotlighting some of the best and brightest to come out of the Grand Canyon State.

Previous guests on the podcast include Jerry Colangelo, Michael Crow, Jan Brewer and Doug Ducey.