This story is part of our April 2025 issue. To subscribe, click here.

This story is part of our April 2025 issue. Click here to subscribe.

It’s not the usual career path. Jim Cooper took the law enforcement entrance exam at age 19, passed it, worked at the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for 10 years, served in the narcotics gang unit, spent five years undercover “buying drugs every night all over Sacramento,” kept rising up the ranks, meanwhile was elected as the first mayor of Elk Grove, spent 15 years on the City Council, served two terms in the California State Assembly and was then elected sheriff of Sacramento County in 2022, coming full circle and devoting most of his waking hours to public service. 

The biggest challenge of his job? “It never turns off,” says Sheriff Cooper. “It’s always on. My phone rings at all hours of the day and night.” The good news is that he’s wired for this. “I enjoy what I do,” says the sheriff. “I’m not a type-A personality. I’m a type-AAA personality. I can go. I don’t have an off switch.” 

Tips for staying focused: He dives into tasks right away to knock them out, given the constant demands for his time. “I probably do have undiagnosed ADD. My attention span is very short. There’s so much going on, and your phone is constantly beeping.”

Why he spends so much time with the community: “It shows that you’re engaged, that you care. People want to know that you care. They want to be able to talk to you. And I care. I’ve got a grandson that lives here. My daughter lives here in Sacramento. I want Sacramento to be safe. It’s important to me.”

2:00AM – The phone can ring anytime. Sometimes it brings news of a fatal shooting. “When the phone rings I get up, get dressed, and I roll.” He’ll stay at the crime scene as long as necessary, then (hopefully) get back to bed.

5:00AM – Wakes up, checks his phone for overnight updates. Checks the news. “I’m reading the papers. I want to see what happened with other agencies and departments.” He forwards relevant articles to his staff, which is now accustomed to seeing his emails before 5:30. 

5:40AM – Slams a banana and strawberry protein shake.

6:00AM – Works out with his brother at a nearby gym. “All we do is weight lift, nothing else.”

7:00AM – While he’s getting ready, he makes calls and fires off texts and emails. He keeps the TV on local news.

8:30AM – Makes calls during his entire 30-minute commute to the office. (This very interview was conducted while the sheriff was on the go. The man seems always in motion.)

9:00AM – The start of back-to-back-to-back meetings. He meets with his staff, members of the community, his other chiefs.  

10:00AM – These meetings can range from the drama of life and death (updates on murder investigations) to the drudgery of paperwork, such as contracts and forms and MOUs (memorandums of understanding). “I sign so much paperwork at work, it’s akin to buying three to four houses every week.”

11:00AM – Every day is different. Sometimes the sheriff swings by the downtown jail (“I’ve probably been there 70 times”), and sometimes he’ll oversee a swearing-in ceremony.

12:00PM – Lunch is usually at his desk, while working. His team uses an in-office air fryer to cook chicken or steak, accompanied by pre-prepared salads. “We’re trying to be healthy.”

1:00PM – More meetings. Detective briefings, patrol briefings, operations briefings. 

2:00PM – The sheriff likes to go into the field when he can, to personally see and review the operations. “I want them to see that I lead from the front. I don’t lead from behind.” There’s no substitute for field work. “You can talk about it with knowledge when you’ve seen it firsthand.” 

4:00PM – Often attends a community event (such as a Ramadan fast-breaking meal of Iftar), as this kind of outreach is critical. “You don’t have a lot of time to yourself. That’s part of this job.” 

5:00PM – Sometimes he leaves the office at 5; sometimes he’s off to a community event; sometimes he’ll spend his night on the graveyard shift. He tries to show up in every aspect of the department. “At the end of the day, I’m responsible for what happens.”

6:00PM – The sheriff lives alone, doesn’t cook and doesn’t watch much TV besides the news. His favorite activity is spending time with his 2-year-old grandson, Zeke, “even though he’s going through his terrible twos. Some days he loves me, some days a little less! But that’s how I unplug.”

9:00PM – Bedtime is as early as possible for obvious reasons. You never know if that 2 a.m. call will come. “If I’m tired, I’m tired. I’ll go to sleep at 8 or 8:30.”  

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