CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne has nominated Cleveland Division of Police Deputy Chief Harold Pretel to become the county's next sheriff.
The nomination must now be approved by Cuyahoga County Council.
“Deputy Chief Pretel is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of collaboration and success in law enforcement,” said Ronayne in a statement. “Deputy Chief Pretel’s experience in corrections, with the Sheriff’s department and at the Cleveland Division of Police has prepared him to take on this role and I know he has the vision and dedication we need to lead the Sheriff’s department.”
Pretel has been a member of the Cleveland Division of Police for nearly three decades, most recently serving as the division's deputy chief of homeland special operations. Pretel is responsible for strategic, administrative, and operational functions of all specialized investigative units and tactical units.
In addition, Pretel also serves on multiple local task forces, including the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force.
Before joining the Cleveland Division of Police, Pretel served as a corrections officer and later as a deputy sheriff/detective with the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department. He served in the United States Marine Corps and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Baldwin-Wallace College and a Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University.
Pretel would replace Interim Cuyahoga County Sheriff Joseph Greiner. Greiner was tapped in February to replace fellow interim Steven Hammett, who announced his resignation earlier that month.
There has been a revolving door of Cuyahoga County sheriffs or interim sheriffs since a 2010 charter amendment changed the sheriff position from an elected one to an appointed one. Greiner has twice been asked to serve in an interim capacity while the county searched for a permanent successor.
- Robert Reid: May 2009 through February 2013
- Frank Bova: February 2013 through March 2015
- Clifford Pinkney: March 2015 through August 2019
- David Schilling (interim): August 2019 through January 2021
- Joe Greiner (interim): January 2021 through March 2021
- Christopher Viland: March 2021 through May 2022
- Steven Hammett (interim): May 2022 through February 2023
- Joe Greiner (interim): February 2023-present