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California's first openly-gay sheriff making history

Shannan Moon was the first woman to be promoted to the ranks of a Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain in the history of the Nevada County Sheriff's Department.

NEVADA CITY, Calif. (KXTV) — Shannan Moon continues to make history as the first openly-gay Sheriff-Elect. 50-year-old Moon grew up in Nevada City and has worked for the Nevada Sheriff’s Department for 28 years. She has served under four different previous Sheriffs.

“I’m excited and definitely humbled by the amount of support I had throughout the campaign, but also excited about the future not only about our department but also this community and how we are going to be able to work together,” said Moon.

She will now become the first woman Sheriff on the force and the first openly-gay Sheriff in the state of California. She said her journey to the top has not been easy.

“I’ve been openly gay since high school," she said. "I’ve always just been me. I’ve been the first in a lot of different categories and it was never my goal to go out and be the first. It was just my goal to be me.”

Moon said men and women deputies police differently, but at the end of the day, both must prove themselves to earn the respect and trust of both the community and peers.

The top three priorities on her agenda are homelessness, transparency & communications and cannabis ordinances, Moon said. She will be sworn in as Nevada County Sheriff in January.

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