Posted by: Media Relations

Sheriff Boudreaux promotes new Lieutenant

You are invited to join us on Monday, February 10, 2014 at 9:00 AM, a formal promotional ceremony will be held in the lobby at Sheriff’s Headquarters.

Lieutenant Jim Franks has been with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department for approximately 26 years, having joined the Department as a Sheriff’s Trainee in 1988. During that same year he was promoted to a Deputy position. During his time with the Department, he has been assigned as a Deputy to the Jails, STEP/SWAT, the Narcotics Unit, Property Crimes, and Homicide.

While working in the Jails he held the position of Jail Training Officer, as well as a Lead Booking & Classification Officer. He moved to work in Patrol, and after two years was named a Field Training Officer, as well as holding the position of a SWAT Sniper.

While serving with the Department as a Deputy, Franks also worked as a Grant Coordinator for an ABC Grant which had been awarded to the Sheriff’s Department.  This grant involved research and recommendations for additional personnel. Administration of the grant included setting up various suppression, enforcement, and education programs throughout the county.

As the grant year ended, he was moved into the STEP/SWAT unit, where after several years was made an Entry Element Team Leader. During that time, the team was split into two teams, and Franks was instrumental as a leader of the second team.

After his transfer into the Homicide Unit, he worked on multiple capital cases during his three years there – one of those years noted as having double the normal number of homicides. Some of these cases received national attention, such as the Angelita de Orosi case, where he made a guest appearance on Nancy Grace.

After being promoted to Sergeant in February of 2008, Franks was assigned to Headquarters Patrol, where he was a Field Training Officer Supervisor and later assigned as Sergeant in charge of the STEP/SWAT team. Not only was he the Sergeant of that Unit, but also oversaw all marijuana investigations in the county, as well as any grants attached to those investigations. He was responsible for budgeting overtime for staff, purchasing equipment and supplies, and planning training.

During his law enforcement career, Franks has received several commendations, most notably three formal letters of recognition from the Sheriff. The first letter recognized his investigative efforts in the Orosi baby cases, where the suspect was arrested and successfully prosecuted. The second letter was regarding intervening in another department’s case where they mistakenly labeled a homicide as a natural death. Once their investigation was finished, Franks insisted that his staff work the scene as a homicide, where it was later ruled as such by the Coroner. The third commendation was for his work as part of teams involved in hostage rescue during the 2012 shooting at the Reservation.

Currently, Franks is a departmental Less-Lethal Impact Munitions Instructor, Submachine Gun Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Active Shooter Response Instructor, Simunition Instructor, Pepperball Instructor, SWAT Tactics Instructor, and Swiftwater Rescue Instructor. He is also the department subject matter expert in tactical critical incidents and operations. In addition to maintaining those instructor positions, Franks is also the Lead Sergeant on the Dive and Swiftwater Rescue Team, as well as being a member of the Search and Rescue Team. As part of those groups, he has participated in nearly a hundred rescues and body recoveries from dangerous locations throughout Tulare County.

He is supported by his wife Judy, sons Daniel and Chris – who is also a Deputy - and daughters Michelle, Jill and Christine.

You are invited to join us on Monday, February 10, 2014 at 9:00 AM, a formal promotional ceremony will be held in the lobby at Sheriff’s Headquarters.