Meet Santa Cruz County Sheriff Chris Clark
By Jennifer Mount
In December, Undersheriff Chris Clark succeeded Jim Hart as Santa Cruz County Sheriff. Clark is an 18-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and was appointed unanimously by the county’s Board of Supervisors in August 2024 after Hart retired with four years remaining in his elected term.
Clark is a graduate of California State University, Sacramento where, inspired by family members in law enforcement, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. His uncle worked for the UC Santa Cruz Police Department and introduced Clark to an opportunity with the county’s Sheriff’s Office. He completed the Police Academy in 2006 and settled down with his wife and three sons in Santa Cruz.
Working his way up the ranks, Clark engaged in many areas of police work including roles as patrol deputy, gang expert, detective, coroner, managing four jails, and more. In 2020, he was assigned Operations Chief leading multiple teams. As we know, that was the beginning of a tough time for our community. Clark played a leadership role navigating Covid, the CZU Fires, storms, floods, and the death of Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller. “These experiences helped to gel our office as 7 federally declared emergencies came in,” Clark said. “We dealt with a lot in a short period of time and everyone showed up and no one complained. Our staff saw an overwhelming feeling of support from the community.”
A primary focus of the Sheriff’s Office is the care of incarcerated people and support for those with substance abuse and mental health issues. Yet facilities were built in 1970 for a different population. Clark’s team is working towards building a modern medical and mental health institution that meets current needs. The Sheriff’s Office is also designing a DNA lab that can potentially turn over evidence within 48 hours — a real game changer in the criminal justice field. His vision also includes building a gun range for qualifying deputies for firearms and then for forensic ballistics testing. “We are a small size county with big city issues. We will be able to provide all of these services here in our county for survivors and victims of crime, which is next to unheard of for a county of our size,” says Clark.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office at 5200 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
According to Clark, “The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s office is about keeping public safety at the heart of what we do and creating strategies that align with the needs of the people.” He believes that relationships between his office and the community are critically important. He recommends that the public attend hosted meetings and forums to share our experiences and to not hesitate to reach out and let the department know what is going on in our communities and neighborhoods.
From the mountains to the coast, Santa Cruz County is a multi-faceted place with distinct features and diverse challenges. “I love it, I can’t imagine doing this job anywhere else,” said Clark.
Contact Sheriff Clark at 831-454-7618 sc.sheriff@santacruzcountyca.gov Chris.Clark@santacruzcountyca.gov
Jennifer Mount
Jennifer Mountprovides educational workshops and consulting to support emerging leaders in developing the communication skills necessary to guide their teams. She has partnered with Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and small businesses and currently focuses on localSanta Cruz County organizations.
