Since November 2012, Sheriff Mark J. Dannels has been elected by the good citizens of Cochise County to serve as their 26^th Cochise County Sheriff since 1881.  I continue to be Humbled, Honored and Dedicated to my oath of office for this incredible opportunity to serve you all with my personal commitment to sustain your Quality of Life as you would expect, and your Freedoms and Liberties as scribed in the United States and Arizona Constitutions. 

Sheriff Mark J. Dannels is a 40-year veteran of law enforcement.  He holds a master’s degree in criminal justice management from Aspen University and is a Certified Public Manager from Arizona State University.  He has over 3000 hours of law enforcement training in his portfolio.  He attended Disney’s Leadership and Executive Training programs and is a graduate of the Rural Executive Management Institute. He began his law enforcement career in 1984 after serving a successful tour in the United States Army.  He progressed through the ranks with the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office to the position of Deputy Commander after working numerous specialty assignments and leadership roles to include appointments by Arizona Governors for his dedicated efforts directed toward public safety standards. 

Sheriff Dannels is a long time member of the Fraternal Order of Police, past member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council, current member of the National Sheriffs Association where he serves as the Border Security Chairman, Southwest Border Sheriffs Executive Board, Western States Sheriffs Association Executive Board, Arizona Sheriffs Association where he serves as past-president, Chair of the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, Arizona Homeland Security-Regional Advisory Council, Alliance to Combat Transnational Threats, Border Security Advisory Council, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and serves on several community service groups; San Pedro Kiwanis, Just Kids Inc., CASA, Sierra Vista Elks, the Boys and Girls Club of Sierra Vista, former Varsity Wrestling Coach at Buena High School, and teaches at Wayland Baptist University and Cochise College. Sheriff Dannels participates in many community outreach programs such as Project Graduation, Sizzle, Stocking Stuffers, Community Haunted House, Men who Cook, Kars for Kids, Miss Sierra Vista and Shop with a Cop. 

Sheriff Dannels has been recognized and awarded the Medal of Valor, Western States Sheriff of the Year, Herald/Review Person of the Year, Outstanding Business Person of the Year, Western States Sheriff Star, Marquis Who’s Who, Sheriff’s Medal, Deputy of the Year, Distinguished Service Award, Unit Citation Award, National Police Hall of Fame, Lifesaving Award and dozens of community-service awards from service groups and governmental organizations.

Sheriff Dannels is married to Nickie, a Registered Nurse.  They have three sons, Justin, a Police Officer/Sergeant with the City of Sierra Vista, Ryan a former Firefighter/Paramedic with the City of Sierra Vista, and Corey, a Lineman with the Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative.  

Sheriff Dannels has 3 primary objectives:  Organizational Development, Border Security and Community Outreach.  

“A Sheriff for All the People”

Sheriff Urbino "Benny" Martinez

Brooks County, Texas

Sheriff Urbino "Benny" Martinez has proudly served in law enforcement for the past 46 years.

Sheriff Martinez began his law enforcement career with the Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS) in 1979, where he served for 29 years. During his tenure with TDPS, he
was cross trained with U.S. Customs, the FBI, and the DEA to enhance his investigative abilities in tracking transnational gang members. For the last 17 years of his service with TDPS, he worked in the Narcotics Division as an undercover agent. He retired from TDPS in 2009.

Later that year, he was hired as Chief Deputy for the Brooks County Sheriff's Office, a role he held until being elected Brooks County Sheriff in 2017. During his time as Chief
Deputy and later as Sheriff, he brought nationwide attention to border security issues affecting Brooks County. He helped establish the Missing Migrant Program in partnership with the U.S. Border Patrol, creating a national model for handling cases involving undocumented individuals who die on U.S. soil.  He is one of the founding members of Texas Governor Abbott's Operation Lone Star Task Force, which was created to address the influx of illegal border crossings, transnational criminal activity, and human trafficking. The mission of the task force is to foster collaboration between federal, state, and local agencies while providing a model for effective border enforcement and community safety. The task force now represents 63 Texas law enforcement agencies. Sheriff Martinez also serves on the Border Security Working group which advises the federal government on border security issues.

Sheriff Martinez was appointed to the board of the Sheriffs Association of Texas in 2018.  He has served as Vice Chair of the Border Security Committee for the National Sheriffs'
Association since 2020.

In September 2025, he became Chairman of the Texas Border Sheriffs Coalition. Sheriff Martinez is also currently Secretary of the Southwest Border Sheriffs Coalition and a member of the Western States Sheriffs Association.  

William “Clint” McDonald

Clint began his law enforcement career with the Kimble County Sheriff’s Office in 1985. In 1996, he joined the Terrell County Sheriff’s Office as Deputy Sheriff/Jail Administrator and was promoted to Chief Deputy/Jail Administrator by the following year. In 2004, he was appointed Sheriff for 1 year, and then was elected for 3 full terms. He retired January 1, 2017

As a founding member of both Coalitions, Clint served 2 terms as Chairman of TBSC. 

Clint was voted in as Executive Director of TBSC and SWBSC in March of 2018.  He also served 1 term on the executive board of the Sheriff’s Association of Texas.  Clint has also served 9 years as President to the Sanderson, Texas chapter of the Lions Club and has been a 20-year member of the Texas Tax Assessor-Collector’s Association.

It is a honor to serve!