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CLEVELAND (WJW) — A nominee for Cuyahoga County’s next sheriff comes from the Cleveland Division of Police.

County Executive Chris Ronayne on Wednesday announced he intends to nominate Cleveland police Deputy Chief Harold Pretel to lead the county sheriff’s department.

Pretel has been with Cleveland police for nearly three decades, and most was most recently its deputy chief of homeland special operations, overseeing investigative and tactical units. He also serves on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force, according to the release.

Before joining the city police force, Pretel worked as a detective and a corrections officer with the county sheriff’s department, according to the release.

He is a former U.S. Marine Corps military police officer and obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Baldwin Wallace University and Master of Science in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University, according to the release. He’s also a graduate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Leadership Academy.

“Deputy Chief Pretel is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of collaboration and success in law enforcement,” Ronayne is quoted in the release. “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’s nomination must still be approved by Cuyahoga County Council members, whose next regular meeting is set for May 23.

Former county sheriff Christopher Viland resigned in April 2022 and his interim replacement, Steven Hammett, resigned in February. The sheriff’s Chief Deputy Joseph Greiner has since been serving as interim sheriff.