Latina Kip Rustenburg Luna Proud to Serve as MCSO’s New Deputy Chief

Latina Kip Rustenburg Luna Proud to Serve as MCSO’s New Deputy Chief

By Cindy G. Castillo

Kip Rustenburg Luna is taking on a new role with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, serving as Deputy Chief as of April of this year.

“I love it! It’s a lot of responsibility, and with a lot of responsibility comes a lot of power and I take that very seriously,” she explains. “The higher you go, the more influence you can have in the agency to make positive changes.”

Rustenburg Luna was born in New York, but grew up in the state of Arizona. She is now a mom of two and has been serving at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for almost 19 years. Starting out in the agency as deputy for District 4, she moved forward years later to lieutenant of the same district and now Deputy Chief.

The announcement for her new position was made by Sheriff Paul Penzone back in April during a town hall meeting in Anthem. As Deputy Chief, Rustenburg Luna will be overseeing District 1, District 6, District 7, along with handling Lake patrol and court security.

“It means to me so much that my skills and my hard work and dedication has paid off,” she said. “As a Latina, I feel empowered that I represent a lot of people. This is my passion and I would like to encourage people to go after their dreams, regardless of where you come from.”

Moving forward, she says she’d like to keep the momentum going with the positive changes that are already happening at MCSO since Penzone took office back in January.

“[Penzone’s] compassion for his people is the most change that I’ve seen,” she said, “everybody has a voice and everybody is working together and that is really a refreshing atmosphere to work in.”

Rustenburg Luna said she’d also like to see a positive change when it comes to the public’s perception of the Sheriff’s Office.

“We’re making strides [in that sense] with the new administration and the new Community Outreach Division,” she explains, “Penzone has brought in so many quality people from outside agencies that have really set this big shift in the right direction…it’s a huge change, but it’s a welcomed change by almost everybody.”

Overall, Rustenburg Luna sees her new position as an opportunity for mentorship, encouraging and inspiring people to reach their full potential.

“I worked really hard for this. It’s refreshing and means so much for me that I was selected and valued enough [for this position].”