Tommy Hayes is homegrown and committed to the community

Tommy grew up on a family farm in Northern Yolo County as a 4th generation farmer.  While most kids were riding their bicycles around town, Tommy was in the field driving a tractor.  That is where he learned the value of hard work and the importance of good employees.  

In the winter months, Tommy used to spend many evenings doing his father’s bookwork.  As there were no computers back then, he would write out the year’s expenses on a spreadsheet, categorizing everything by month and expense, preparing for the upcoming year’s budget.   

At the age of 15, he spent his free time as a Yolo County Sheriff’s Cadet.  To this day, Tommy remembers getting his picture with the Sheriff at the time (Bob Martinez), thinking that someday if he worked hard enough, he could be just like him.    

After a few years as a cadet, Tommy turned his attention to High School Rodeo, where he team roped with his brother Tim. After High School, he spent time working on the family farm and growing some of his own crops.    

At the age of 21, Tommy had the opportunity to manage a tomato transplant operation in Central California.  This operation consisted of managing several workers, scheduling, planting, logistics, and business relations.    

Though Tommy loved working in the fields and harvesting crops, he still had a strong desire to become a law enforcement Officer and someday the Yolo County Sheriff.  In 2006, Tommy sponsored himself to attend the Police Academy full-time.  In 2007, Tommy was hired by Sheriff Ed Prieto with the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office.  He started off as a courthouse transportation Deputy and Bailiff, and quickly moved up to the Patrol Division.  In 2012, Tommy was the co-founder of the Agriculture Task Force within the Sheriff’s Office.  In this position, Tommy and his partner were awarded a Certificate of Commendation for “Team of the Year”.  In 2017, Tommy was tasked with starting the Cannabis Task Force.  

After the Cannabis Task Force was up and running, Tommy was able to re-focus on Rural Crimes within the Investigations Unit.  During this time, often working as a solo unit, Tommy was able to investigate and secure convictions finding justice for rural victims. Tommy credits a lot of his success through collaboration with the community.   

Tommy served on this unit until the Department re-assigned him to be a Resident Deputy, position he is currently in.   Tommy still holds collateral duties within the Department, including Off-Highway Vehicle Team, Marine Patrol, and SWAT.  Tommy is proud that he has been active as a Yolo County Regional SWAT Team Member since 2010, in which he is currently the oldest acting member on this team.   

When not at work, Tommy enjoys coaching his daughter’s sports, working on the farm, camping with family, and taking his daughter hunting.  Tommy plays softball himself, where he was recently inducted into the Police Softball Hall of Fame in 2021.  Tommy is a physically active person that likes to stay involved within this community, finding ways to give back and contribute to community fundraisers.  Tommy understands and promotes the notion of teamwork, a culture he plans to bring to the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office if elected on June 7th, 2022.