Heather Lappin
Heather Lappin (Republican Party) ran for election for Pima County Sheriff in Arizona. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Lappin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Heather Lappin was born in Hillsdale, Michigan. She earned a high school diploma from Hillsdale High School, a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University in 2021, a graduate degree from Northern Arizona University in 2023. Lappin has also attended the following command colleges: Northwestern University Police Staff and Command, Senior Management Institute of Police, Homeland Security Leadership Academy, and Transform Law Enforcement at the University of Kentucky. Her career experience includes working as a law enforcement officer.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Municipal elections in Pima County, Arizona (2024)
General election
General election for Pima County Sheriff
Incumbent Chris Nanos defeated Heather Lappin and Trista di Genova in the general election for Pima County Sheriff on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Chris Nanos (D)  | 49.9 | 243,891 |
| Heather Lappin (R) | 49.8 | 243,410 | ||
 | Trista di Genova (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 118 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 1,500 | ||
| Total votes: 488,919 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Pima County Sheriff
Incumbent Chris Nanos defeated Sanford Rosenthal in the Democratic primary for Pima County Sheriff on July 30, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chris Nanos | 59.7 | 61,927 |
| Sanford Rosenthal | 39.8 | 41,300 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 486 | ||
| Total votes: 103,713 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Pima County Sheriff
Heather Lappin defeated Bill Phillips and Terry Frederick in the Republican primary for Pima County Sheriff on July 30, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Heather Lappin | 44.4 | 34,986 | |
 | Bill Phillips | 39.9 | 31,473 | |
| Terry Frederick | 15.0 | 11,786 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 540 | ||
| Total votes: 78,785 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lappin in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Heather Lappin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lappin's responses.
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Prior to her current position, she served as the Training Section Commander, overseeing training programs for commissioned and corrections personnel, including firearms, academy, and advanced officer training. Heather has held diverse assignments, including Advanced Training Specialist at AZPOST, District Commander, and work in Internal Affairs. Early in her career, she specialized in training, earning recognition as an AZPOST Subject Matter Expert in the Field Training Program and instructor-level certifications in defensive tactics, firearms, physical fitness, and high-risk stops.
Heather's commitment to professional growth extends to her attendance at renowned leadership schools nationwide, including the Senior Management Institute for Police, Department of Homeland Security’s Leadership Academy, Northwestern School of Police Staff and Command, and Transform Law Enforcement. Her formal education includes an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Arizona State University. Currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership at NAU, Heather also serves as an adjunct professor at Pima Community College.- Primary mission is Public Safety. Pima County currently has the highest crime per 100,000 residents out of all Arizona counties. Our resources must be allocated to this and this only. By placing our dedicated deputies on the streets we can improve relationships with the community. We can build bridges of trust between the community and the department. We have currently depleted patrol from what it was in 2021 by 1/3 leaving our deputies to be forced to respond only. When we give them resources, we can improve retention, morale, and service to our amazing Pima County Community.
- Safe Jail: Those that touch the criminal justice system must be assured that while they or their loved ones are incarcerated it is a safe place to be. The tragic deaths of so many individuals during the current term of the incumbent shows lack of vision and strategic thinking. As Sheriff, I will ensure the jail is staffed and trained to ensure safety and security for both officers and inmates. Our community demands this. Staffing is the root cause of the issues which have occurred inside the facility. Staffing that was devastated by a 2021 decision by this administration that lacked any sense of vision. I will not make this mistake and I will have the well being of the community, staff, and those that reach our system at the forefront.
- Integrity: The foundation on which we make decisions as leaders matters. When we make our decisions based on public outcry and what will "look good" for us, we are doing a disservice to our community and our department. As your next Sheriff, I will ensure that all decisions are made with the people and their well being as the number one reason. Leadership matters. Morale matters. Treatment of employees matter. We can and will do better under my lead. I have the backing of a majority of our department. Something never seen since 2014, and I believe this will help us make monumental change and quickly. Support is key, and I have it going in. Additionally, despite being qualified, I will be the first elected female in AZ history.
Border security and how it affects our community.
Helping unhoused population to succeed
Being part of a community that finds solutions for those entering into the criminal justice system in order that they might become more productive members of our community. I believe there is so much more collaboration that can be done within the Sheriff's Department and the community in building bridges of hope for the hopeless.
Simon Sinek, Patrick Lencioni, Arbinger Institute, Peter Bregman, Tim Urban, Jim Collins, Adam Grant, Craig Groeschel, Daniel Goleman, Susan Scott, and probably one of my favorite books is Believe it by Jamie Kern Lima.
I am currently standing up to the Goliath as David and am not backing down. We can make our community safer by showing this courage. If I am doing something wrong, I want the people that work for me to have that courage to stand up and tell me.
When we have the integrity to back up the courage we can show others what it looks like.
I believe we should always do what is right, no matter the personal cost. I will stand by that and have displayed that throughout the campaign.
Working for the person whose job you are trying to take has been exhausting, frightening, and very hard. I walk in every day holding my head held high knowing I am doing what is right despite my consequences.
I am also a huge believer in developing those that work for you to take your job. Creating the best version of each employee will be my mission as it will benefit the community immensely.
Fraternal Order of Police
AZCOPS
Tucson Police Protective League
Pima County Board of Supervisors Matt Heinz and Steve Christy
Mayor Tom Murphy
Former Sheriff Mark Napier
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 9, 2024
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