![Valdez](https://dallasvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Valdez-e1357062725700.jpg)
(Photo courtesy of Brad Watson/WFAA-TV)
Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez was among county elected officials who were sworn in this morning at the Hyatt Regency downtown during a New Year’s Day brunch hosted by the Democratic Party. Valdez, who became Dallas County’s first female, first Hispanic and first lesbian sheriff in 2005, is beginning her third four-year term after defeating Republican Kirk Launius in November.