Meeting Speaker - September 27, 2010

Jim Cooper, 46, has worked in the Sheriff’s Department for 25 years. He has lived in Elk Grove for 20 years and is in his third term on the Elk Grove City Council. He also served as the city's mayor.

Cooper currently heads the sheriff department’s Hi-Tech Crimes Division, which investigates identity theft, cyber-crime and Internet crimes against children.

He said he’s worked in the department’s gang unit, and was among some of the first officers assigned to purchase crack cocaine undercover, but his priorities are with the area’s youth.

“I’ve seen how important it is to make this world safe for our children, because they’re the most vulnerable,” said Cooper, who has coached softball in Elk Grove for 14 years.