Bradley Gagnepain, chief of staff for Sheriff Nanos, dies

Gagnepain, who was in his late 50s, oversaw community services, special investigations and legal advisers.

At 9 p.m., deputies responded to an east-side neighborhood to reports of a suicide attempt, said Deputy Ryan Inglett, a sheriff’s spokesman. He said Gagnepain shot himself.

Sheriff’s detectives investigated the death.

“We are not commenting because it is a private family matter. It is between him and his family,” said Nanos on Monday afternoon.

Nanos sent an email to department employees saying “we lost one of the great leaders and visionaries in our department’s history. Brad Gagnepain was a behind the scenes leader, the man behind the curtain, who had his fingerprints on so many of the successful programs and events in our department. Although, as a true leader, he took credit for none.”

“Although many of us knew him as an administrator, it should be noted he served this community as a law enforcement officer for better than 35 years. Brad will be missed,” said Nanos.

In 1978, while serving in the Air Force, Gagnepain joined the sheriff’s department as a reserve deputy, said Inglett. He said Gagnepain was hired as a patrol deputy in 1981. Crime-prevention programs Gagnepain developed “swiftly gained national recognition”.

Gagnepain climbed the ranks and by 1998 was a major and bureau chief. He served as bureau chief for nearly 17 years, briefly retiring in 2014 before he returned to the department as a special adviser to then-Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.

Last year, Nanos named Gagnepain chief of staff and expanded his role to provide leadership and guidance in his administration.