Dennis Carpenter Chief Dep. Dennis Carpenter has retired from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department effective Aug. 7.

“My wife and I are very excited about the next chapter in our lives,” Carpenter said.

Sheriff Bob Brooks praised Carpenter for his 33-year tenure with the department.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Dennis,” Brooks said. “He is one of most ethical and effective members of the command staff that we have, and he will be greatly missed. We wish him well in retirement.”

Brooks said due to budget cuts, the department will eliminate one of its four chief deputy positions by the end of the year, which means no permanent replacement for Carpenter’s office will be named.

In the meantime, Cmdr. Keith Parks will act as interim chief deputy, Brooks said.

Carpenter’s retirement announcement comes two months after he lost a bid for sheriff to fellow Camarillo resident Geoff Dean.

The election—the first contested sheriff’s race in the county in more than 30 years—was at times contentious and divided the department between the rank and file who supported Dean and many of the command staff, including Brooks, who backed Carpenter.

During his more than 30 years in law enforcement, Carpenter rose through the ranks of the sheriff’s department from deputy to one of its highest ranks—chief deputy.

Brooks named Carpenter to the post last year.

Carpenter, 57, also served for four years as chief of the Thousand Oaks Police Department and held various other command positions within the department.

He began his law enforcement career more than 34 years ago in the Port Hueneme Police Department before becoming a deputy in 1977.

Carpenter said he plans to travel and “keep an open mind as to what the future holds.”

The deputy chief said he and his wife of 37 years, Shirley, plan to continue their Christian missionary work in Mexico through Azusa Pacific University.

Carpenter and his wife have two grown children and six grandchildren.

A retirement party has been planned for Carpenter on Aug. 27 at Spanish Hills Country Club in Camarillo. For more details or to reserve a ticket, call Chandra Penderland at (805) 494-8260.