El Paso County's new sheriff is now on the job. Terry Maketa was sworn in at the Pikes Peak Center on Tuesday.

Maketa becomes the 27th sheriff of El Paso County, and the first to work his way up from an entry-level position as deputy. His first order of business, swearing in the new Undersheriff, Terry Goodall, and hundreds of deputies.

After taking the oath of office, Maketa joined the department in honoring outgoing sheriff John Wesley Anderson for his 8 years of service. Anderson plans to work for Lockheed Martin in its Homeland Security department. But first, it was a time to look back on his accomplishments. "The involvement with the Texas Seven, the Triple Crown Accreditation, and early on, the apprehension and conviction of the killer responsible for the murder of Heather Dawn Church."

The new sheriff says his biggest challenges include the uncertain economy, the possibility of war, and the fallout from 9-11. But locally, Maketa says a situation he's inheriting may prove to be one of the toughest problems. "Immediately, it's the jail issue and I think as our economy remains unstable it's going to be funding. But those are things that I'm willing to work with the commissioners on and I look forward to it as a challenge.

One of the first things Sheriff Maketa changed is the age for concealed weapons permits. Effective immediately, Maketa says 21-year-olds can now apply for concealed weapons permits.