Rich County voters will choose between two candidates for sheriff this year: Republican incumbent Sheriff Dale Stacey and Tom Wahlberg, who is running unaffiliated.
Dale Stacey
“I feel like I can still do good for the county and I'm very familiar with the county," Stacey said. He’s held the position for almost 28 years and said he wants to continue serving Utah’s upper northeastern corner, where Rich County exists.
Stacey said he’s content with how Rich County deputies are currently trained.
This includes the minimum 40-hour requirement of mandatory training, as well as specialized training when his staff requests them.
For school safety, he said a school resource officer has been stationed in the county’s schools since the beginning of this year.
“I'll go into the schools for a while and talk to the kids and the teachers," Stacey said, "and just want them to know that we're here to help them and that they don't need to be afraid of the police.”
He said regular patrols and being integrated into the county is what builds a positive relationship with the community.
Stacey said that he hasn’t currently signed any agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but Rich County hasn’t had any issues with non-citizens in the community.
“We will work with ICE if we have someone that that's, committed a crime and is here illegally, we would certainly work with them," Stacey said.
Tom Wahlberg
Wahlberg is a Rich County resident. He’s lived in the county for 26 years and has been in law enforcement for over a decade. He worked for Rich County for 7 years before changing to the North Park Police Department that he serves at now.
“One of the big things I want to push for is accountability,” Wahlberg said.
Wahlberg said he wants the department to communicate faster with the public during emergency situations through their social media.
He also said he wants the department to be more involved with the schools by implementing a drug abuse prevention program.
Wahlberg said more law enforcement training should be included for county officers.
“I would increase the training budget substantially, and the officer or the deputies would be required to take training, sign up for training, and attend training,” Wahlberg said.
He said he would also increase the types of training. This would help officers respond to a wider variety of issues.
Additionally, he is not opposed to working with ICE.
“As a sheriff and as state officers, our job is not to enforce immigration laws. It is basically to assist the federal government in their enforcement of it, and I do support assisting the federal government in that,” Wahlberg said.
Rich County communities include Garden City, Laketown, Randolph, and Woodruff. Voter registration for Rich County closes Oct. 12 at 5 p.m.
Registered voters who want a ballot mailed to an alternate address must ensure their application is sent and received no later than Oct. 23. Election polls will be open Nov. 3.
