Genesis Arias had to charge her phone three times on Tuesday, her notifications full of calls and messages after Luzerne County announced her appointment as sheriff.
But the first woman in the county to hold that position — and the first Hispanic woman to become a sheriff statewide — felt proudest when she got home.
“I have a little daughter, and she looks up to me,” Arias said. “I got home, and she's like, ‘Mom, I can't believe you're the first female…. I'm so excited for you.’ … She's excited to go back to school and tell everybody, ‘My mom's the sheriff.’”
The 33-year-old Army veteran began her latest assignment Tuesday. She now oversees the department’s 50 employees responsible for courthouse security, transferring inmates, issuing gun permits, serving protection from abuse orders and other duties.
She applied for the job after reminding herself she had the qualifications and the ability to lead.
“Nothing happens if you don't try, right? So I submitted my application, just waited, got an interview,” she said. “Here I am, and I'm proud of myself for this. I never knew I could make it this far, and I just hope somebody out there sees that you just got to take that leap of faith, and you can make it.”
Desire to make a difference
Arias, born in New York City to Dominican parents, went between the city and New Jersey during most of her childhood. Her family moved to Hazleton in 2005, and she graduated from Hazleton Area High School in 2010.
She loved watching the television show “Cops” as a child and knew she wanted a career in law enforcement.
“I know I can make a difference in this career. I can serve people. I can protect my family,” she told herself growing up.
She attended Penn State Hazleton for a semester, majoring in criminal justice. Then she took the military aptitude test and became a member of 31 Bravo — the military police. During two deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she guarded detainees.
Her 13 years of military service through the U.S. Army Reserves earned her numerous decorations, including two Army Achievement Medals and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals. She worked for the sheriff’s office between deployments, returning to the office full-time in 2019.
“I've been here ever since, and I love it,” Arias said.
She received her Pennsylvania Act 2 certification for sheriffs through Penn State, earning promotions to sergeant in 2022 and lieutenant in 2023. She commanded the department’s Transport and Security Division, overseeing inmate transport, courthouse security and coordination with courts, corrections partners and law enforcement agencies across the region. She is a certified law enforcement instructor, a crisis intervention team-certified officer, a certified field training officer and a member of the department’s Honor Guard.
Plans for the sheriff's department
Arias replaces Brian Szumski, who resigned in June after serving as sheriff since 2013. He was the first non-interim sheriff under the county’s home-rule structure that took effect in 2012. Voters previously elected the sheriff, but the home-rule charter changed the office to an appointed position.
The new sheriff went through an interview process with various county officials before receiving a recommendation from a panel and then getting approval from Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo. Arias will make $80,000 in the role.
“She's absolutely the right choice for Luzerne County. She has an extensive history with the sheriff's department, and I've seen her in action,” Crocamo said. “She's calm under pressure. She has the respect of her fellow sheriffs and of the staff and the court, and I think she's going to be innovative and do a great job.”
Crocamo said she will meet with Arias next week to discuss goals, plans and expectations. Recruitment and retention are expected to be high priorities, since the department is understaffed, Crocamo said.
“I expect that I will get a lot of recommendations from the new sheriff on what she may want to do and change, and we'll see how many that we can accomplish sooner rather than later,” Crocamo said.
Arias said she wants to boost morale, increase the workforce and to make sure “we're all just one team to serve the citizens of Luzerne County.”
'Go out there and do it'
Arias’ grandparents didn’t speak English. She knows what it feels like to be with someone who doesn’t understand what’s being said or what’s happening. When Spanish-speaking county residents come into the courthouse, Arias, who is bilingual, is often the one who is helping them find an office or translate conversations.
"I think it's just, it's beautiful … to be able to have that interaction with somebody, to just be able, like, ‘Hey, I'm here. I know what you're trying to say, and I'm here to help you.’ I think it's way more than just using the technology to use a translator, to have someone physically there,” she said. “I think it means more.”
Known as “Gigi” to friends, Arias lives in Drums with her wife and their 17-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter. Their children attend the Hazleton Area School District, a place where the sheriff felt at home and a place where she began to see her potential.
Some of the messages she received Tuesday were from her former teachers in Hazleton — ones that pushed her and encouraged her to push herself.
Sitting in the county council meeting room last week — still getting used to answering to the title of “sheriff,” she thought about what she would tell her younger self or those who could consider her a role model.
“Go out there and do it. Whatever you want to do, the doors are open. You just have to be willing to take that step,” she said. “Never in a million years did I think I would be standing here or sitting here today. But you know, you just gotta put your faith out there and believe like you can make it. And sometimes you know you don't want to listen to people, but sometimes… just listening to someone, it's like, ‘Alright, you're telling me I can make it.’ Let me see if I really can make it and see how far I can go with this.”
