SECOND TOUR OF DUTY IN GV

Lieutenant returns to local Pima sheriff's substation

Lt. Sandy Rosenthal is returning as commander of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s Green Valley District after serving the community in 1999 and 2000, and says he is looking forward to working in Green Valley once again.

He will be taking over for Lieutenant L.T. Pratt, now headed to Tucson after serving five and a half years in Green Valley.

Rosenthal, a Tucson native, has been with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) for 30 years and has also served in the U.S. Army in military law enforcement. The lieutenant is coming from the Criminal Investigations Unit of PCSD’s main station in Tucson, where he was in charge of a group of detectives who handled a variety of crimes, including child crimes, sex crimes, burglary, auto theft, arson and animal crimes.

Lieutenants with the PCSD are routinely rotated every 18 to 24 months, depending on the needs of the Department.

“I enjoyed my time here, and I’m happy to be back,” said Rosenthal, who says he feels comfortable and “at home” in Green Valley, where he has many friends in the law enforcement community and the community at large.

He praised the people of Green Valley both for their friendliness and their willingness to speak up about the issues that concern the community.

“People here genuinely care about their neighbors, and they care about being safe,” he said. “I think that if they had their choice, they wouldn’t lock their front door.”

“One of the nice things about Green Valley is that we have time to deal with any issue, no matter how small, because we have the Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers,” he said. “These guys are our major resource.”

During his time in Green Valley, Rosenthal plans to increase the number of SAV volunteers, who currently number around 100, by at least 50.

“This will be one of my main goals while I’m here. The community has grown, it’s time for SAV to grow, too.”

Rosenthal encourages citizens to call him at the Green Valley substation, 520-351-4888, to voice their concerns.

Thursday evening, the lieutenant will be hosting a public meeting in Arivaca to introduce himself to the community. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. and will be held at the community center, 16012 Universal Ranch Road.

jrichardson@gvnews.com |547-9726