The Sheriff’s Office Celebrates Eight Promotions

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce the promotions of eight outstanding members of our team.  A promotions ceremony was held yesterday, June 24, 2019, at the Sheriff’s Training Bureau.  The promotions included a Forensic Supervisor, a Sheriff’s Sergeant, three Custody Sergeants, two Custody Lieutenants and a Custody Commander.

At the ceremony, Sheriff Bill Brown congratulated the eight promotes and said, “The caliber and quality of our people is such that the competition for promotion is always very tough.  Those who emerge successfully from this rigorous process are to be congratulated and that is what today is all about. 

Ryan Sullivan, a 13-year-veteran of the Sheriff’s Office was promoted to Custody Commander.  Custody Commander Sullivan has held a variety of assignments during his career including the Classification Unit, Transportation Unit, Risk Assessment Unit and as a member of the Special Operations Response Team (SORT).  Custody Commander Sullivan will be assigned to oversee the Custody Support Division.

Selim Celmeta, an 11-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, was promoted to Custody Lieutenant.  He most recently was assigned as a Resources Coordinator at the Santa Barbara County Jail.  He also has experience working in the Alternative Sentencing Bureau, Administrative Investigation Team, Classification Unit and the Special Operations Response Team.  

Bobby Cobb Jr. was promoted to Custody Lieutenant and has 25 years of experience at the Sheriff’s Office.  He started working in the Main Jail as a Corrections Officer and has held various assignments ever since, including Classification Unit, Main Jail, Compliance Officer in the Administration Unit and Transportation Unit. Through the years he has received many letters of commendation for his efforts.

Ronald Sanders was promoted to Custody Sergeant.  He started at the Sheriff’s Office as a patrol deputy 12 years ago and later became a Custody Deputy.  He was assigned to the Classification Unit and is now assigned to the Main Jail.

Scott Chapman was also promoted to Custody Sergeant and has been with the Sheriff’s Office for 13 years.  He worked for more 12 years on the Special Operations Response Team and also held assignments in the Main Jail and Transportation Unit.  Custody Sgt. Chapman has also been commended for his assistance with recruitment efforts.  

Seth Woodill was promoted to Sheriff’s Sergeant and has been with the Sheriff’s Office for 14 years.  Sgt. Woodill has worked as a patrol deputy in the Carpinteria and Goleta stations as well as at our Central and Santa Maria stations.  He has also worked as a bailiff and was a member of the first AB109 Community Response Team.  He is currently assigned to the Isla Vista Foot Patrol.

The third Custody Sergeant promoted was Gina Cecchetto, and has been with the Sheriff’s Office for six years now.  He worked in the Administrative Unit as the Main Jail’s Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) and Americans with Disability Act (ACT) Coordinator.  He also acts as a liaison with other agencies and community groups that provide resources for inmates in need. 

After 20-years of service to the Sheriff’s Office, Nancy Fabela was promoted as our first civilian Forensic Supervisor. Nancy is a UCSB graduate and was hired by the Sheriff’s Office in 1999 as an extra help clerk in the Forensics Unit.  Nancy rose through the ranks as a Crime Scene Technician.  She was instrumental in creating a two-year Forensics Unit in-house training program for all new crime scene technicians.  Nancy also teaches Crime Scene Investigations at Allan Hancock College and is a black belt in American Kenpo.

We congratulate everyone who was promoted today and we thank each of them for their hard work and dedication to protecting and serving Santa Barbara County.   

We are always looking for great people who want to make a difference to join our team.  If you are interested in a career with the Sheriff’s Office, we encourage you to visit our website at www.sbsheriff.org and go to the Join Us section.