Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said he will not seek reelection and will retire this year after 53 years in law enforcement.

Estrada, 77, was sworn into elected office in 1993 and was reelected seven times. Before running for county sheriff, he worked his way up the ranks at the Nogales Police Department, retiring as captain in 1991.

He has also been an active volunteer with Nogales Rotary, United Way of Santa Cruz County, the Boys and Girls Club, Way of the Heart Promotora Institute and the Nogales Elks Lodge.

He said he decided not to seek reelection after he and his family agreed he’s done enough for the Santa Cruz County community.

Estrada was born in Nogales, Sonora, in 1943 and immigrated to Nogales, Arizona, with his mother and siblings in 1944, he said.

“For a humble little Mexican boy that wasn’t sure what my future was going to be, all of a sudden all these doors started opening for me,” Estrada said.

One of his greatest accomplishments as sheriff was moving the department and county jail to a new building, he said.