Jay Varney is the Sheriff/Coroner of Madera County. He has held this position since January 2015.
“My 32 year career in law enforcement has been characterized by lifelong growth in leadership positions, assignments, and responsibilities. I remain excited to be involved as a leader serving our citizens through the local, regional and state law enforcement community. The diversity of his previous a
ssignments -including nearly two years as Acting City Administrator for the City of Chowchilla during hard financial times-has assisted him in serving as Sheriff/Coroner of Madera County. Varney started his law enforcement career in Dallas Texas where he was promoted to sergeant in 1990 after finishing first out of over 400 applicants. He was assigned to lead a felony crime interdiction unit in 1991. In 1993, Varney and his family returned to his hometown of Lansing MI, where he went to work for the Lansing MI Police Department. “It was a difficult decision to leave a great department and move, however it was important to us that our young children bond with their extended family so we made the sacrifice”. Although the move required starting again as a police officer, Varney reached the rank of Lieutenant by 2002 with assignments that included patrol/detective lieutenant, human resources lieutenant, and K9 unit lieutenant prior to his departure for the chief’s position in Chowchilla. Additionally, in 2000, Chief Varney became a licensed presenter for the Pointman Leadership Institute, a global presenter of leadership and integrity training whose home base is located in Hume Lake, California. Chief Varney's participation with Pointman has been in addition to his full time work with the Chowchilla Police Department and Lansing Police Department. Chief Varney has a Bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a Master’s Degree in Criminology from Fresno State. He holds an Executive Certificate from California POST and is a graduate of the 253rd session of the prestigious FBI National Academy, where he earned a graduate certificate from the University of Virginia in Criminal Justice Education. Chief Varney and his wife Amy have been married 30 years. They have two children and reside in Chowchilla. Thank you for your support and interest in Jay Varney for Madera Sheriff/Coroner 2014.
