Darren's Rides: Pinal County Detention Officer Working Hard to Reach Fitness Goal

A connected kind of county

On December 7th, 2010 Pinal County Adult Detention Officer Michael Fender decided it was time to make a life changing decision. At the time, Michael weighed 326 pounds and was suffering from health issues tied to his weight. The decision could not have come at a better time. Michael has worked hard during the past six months and we are proud of his accomplishments.

During December of 2010, Sheriff Paul Babeu used RICO funds to purchase cardio and weight training equipment for a new fitness center for Sheriff’s Office employees. The money was seized from drug dealers and used to purchase fitness equipment to help our members reach their fitness goals.

“The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has 621 men and women employees who are dedicated to protect and serve our Pinal County citizens. During 2009 we had 69 duty related injuries and in 2010 we had 31. Our goal is to help our members stay physically fit so if they are injured in the line of duty they have a better chance to recover quickly” stated Sheriff Paul Babeu.

Detention Officer Michael Fender stated, “When I first started, I was working out on average 2 hours a day 5 days a week, pretty much every day before and after my shift. My day would consist of about 1 to 1 1/2 hour of cardio and about 1/2 an hour of weight training. I completely changed my diet from eating fast food a couple times a day to watching my calorie intake and eating mostly lean meats, fruits and vegetables.

I was not happy with the image I portrayed to the public. The citizens we serve expect more from their uniformed public servants. Sheriff Babeu has invested so much time, effort and resources into making this Sheriff's Office a very professional organization, one that I am proud to say I am a part of. I am very grateful for Sheriff Babeu taking the time to invest in his people. Making the fitness center available for use by all staff was instrumental in changing my life.”