Just like four years ago, the June primary election is more like a final election for Davis County Sheriff.
That's because without a Democratic challenger, the winner of this preliminary election is a shoo-in to be the sheriff for the next four years.Incumbent Rob Davis and Bud E. Cox face off in this crucial part of the June 23 primary election.
Davis narrowly escaped being eliminated at the April 25 Davis County Republican nominating convention. He had only 36 percent of the votes, while Cox came away with a surprising 64 percent. A 70 percent margin was required to avoid a primary election.
Cox is the veteran of the two in law enforcement. He's older and more seasoned, with more than 25 years personal experience in all facets of law enforcement, except paramedics. He said that because he has supervised paramedics, he also has a good understanding of that function.
He also has plenty of leadership experience. Cox has served as a captain in Davis County since 1983. He was also a chief deputy for two years, the main assistant under Sheriff Harry Jones.
Davis is more the new kid on the block, a 17-year veteran of the Davis County Sheriff's office. Still, he did surprise many people four years ago when he received 83 percent of the county votes to Glenn Clary's 17 percent.
As one of just 17 members of the board of directors for the National Sheriff's Association, Davis said he has put Davis County law enforcement on the national map.
He feels his strong background in finance has been essential in being frugal with the department's budget. As a paramedic, Davis also has improved that department dramatically during his tenure.
Cox is challenging Davis mainly because he feels the department's leadership - particularly among the captains - is not being utilized effectively. He said information is not flowing smoothly and the captains are not privy to essential information.
Thus, employees don't know whom to ask for information and a lot of demoralizing rumors get started.
Davis, meanwhile, said his record of accomplishments speaks for itself. He has brought strong leadership to the sheriff's department - something it lacked before he took office.
He also said he has given the department a mission statement and a focus. He has also held annual retreats with leaders to improve effectiveness, cooperation and communication.
The county jail expansion has come at no cost to county taxpayers, thanks to federal funds. Also, Davis said he has spearheaded important safety improvements in the department, as well as major advances in technology.
Cox acknowledges that Davis has done some good things, but in his opinion the department is still lacking in leadership and he can fill that gap.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Bud E. Cox
Age: 51.
Residence: Emerald Drive, Layton.
Political party: Republican.
Family: Married to Norma Lee Green. They have two married children, Stacy, 21, and Stephanie, 20.
Hometown: Born in Ogden. Lived in Dugway, but has lived in Davis County since high school graduation.
Occupation: Current captain of special services in the Davis County Sheriff's Department.
Education: Graduated from Weber State University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a minor in political science. Earned a master's degree in public administration from Brigham Young University.
Experience: Served two years in the U.S. Army, including one year in Vietnam. Graduated from the FBI Academy's training course. Also served as the chief deputy in Davis County. Has been a captain with the department since 1983 and came through the ranks - doing everything but paramedic duty. Has worked in the county jail, done patrols on the road and as a detective. He has also worked as reserve officer for Clearfield City and for the former East Layton City as a police officer.
Volunteer/service work: Serves as the current vice chairman of fund distribution for the United Way of Davis County. Also a member of the Davis United Way's board of directors. Has been a longtime volunteer for the United Way.
Why he's running for office: Because he feels the leadership of the department is not being utilized directly, but is fractionalized. He wants to correct that problem. The captains are not being utilized correctly. Information is not flowing down smoothly. Rumors are rampant, hurting morale. Department members don't know who to ask for information. This hurts the department's relationship with other county and city agencies.
Strengths: His educational experience and his long career in law enforcement. He feels he has a good understanding of what every aspect of the department needs. Although he's never been a paramedic, he has supervised them. He's also good at budgeting finances and helped prepare the department budget a few years ago when he served as chief deputy.
Hobbies: Golf and outdoor activities with his family - hiking and fishing.
Other information: Served an LDS Church mission to Western Canada.
Rob Davis
Age: 42.
Residence: Fairway Court, Farmington.
Political party: Republican.
Family: Married wife, Dawn, in 1977. The couple has five children - Heather, 20; Haven, 18; Ashley, 17; Tristan, 12; and Stockton, 7.
Hometown: Born and raised mostly in Utah, but has also lived in Idaho, Montana and California. A Farmington resident for the past 12 years.
Occupation: Current Davis County Sheriff, since Jan. 1, 1995.
Education: Graduated, with honors, with a business and finance degree from Weber State University.
Experience: 17 years experience with Davis County Sheriff's Department. Served as a deputy for 13 years, including 11 years as a paramedic, with nine years overlapping in the patrol division. Current president of the Davis County Law Enforcement Administrative Association. Also serves as one of 17 members nationwide on the board of directors of the National Sheriff's Association.
Past accomplishments: Got control of the Sheriff's Department budget. Took the Davis County ambulance service from a financial loss to making a profit of $100,000 a year. Updated the department's technology with laptop computers and modems in patrol cars, and a better crime lab. A new state-of-the-art fingerprinting system will come on line this month. Improved the safety of officers by making sure they all have bullet-proof vests. Got new handguns and mostly new vehicles that require less maintenance. Was also able to get a new county jail built with federal funds and at no cost to the county.
Volunteer/service work: Active in the past as a Boy Scout leader. Also active in social visits to senior citizen centers.
Why he's running for office: He wants to complete more of the improvements he started in leadership, budgeting and modernization of equipment.
Strengths: He said he's kept all the promises he made before going into office. His business and finance background helps him with department budgets. He's been able to give strong leadership to the department, something that hasn't been there before.
Hobbies: Golf, riding bikes and playing basketball.
Other information: Served a mission for the LDS Church to northern England. Worked for a brief time in the insurance and investment industry, but was always interested in law enforcement and police work.
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Davis County sheriff
Why vote for you?
BUD E. COX (R)
Cox said he has the qualifications and the experience for the job, and the respect of the department members. In his opinion, the sheriff's department is lacking in leadership and he can fill that void. He wants to improve morale with improved communication through the captains in the department.
ROB DAVIS (R)
Davis believes his past record speaks for itself and he wants to continue to improve the sheriff's department. He said when he took over, there was a 28 percent turnover rate among employees. Now it is down to 8 percent. He's modernized the department, while gaining new facilities and equipment - yet he's been frugal with taxpayer money.
What are the biggest crime problems in Davis County and how should they be addressed?
BUD E. COX (R)
Drugs and meth labs are currently the biggest problems. If possible, manpower should be added to the narcotics strike force. The department is also taking the gang situation too lightly now. The gang problem is still there and we're not spending the resources we need to on it. He'd like to consider a countywide gang unit. Also a gang prevention program, similar to the anti-drug D.A.R.E. program, should be considered.
ROB DAVIS (R)
Drugs and domestic violence top the list. He plans to add two more members to the county's narcotics strike force. He wants to be more pro-active on domestic violence and prepare officers better on how to handle it. He would continue speaking to youths several times a week about drugs and gangs.
Has enough been done to buffer west Farmington residents from the county jail expansion in their neighborhood?
BUD E. COX (R)
Officers have met with residents there. Some extra patrols have been established in west Farmington - especially at night. He acknowledges the extra traffic expanded jail facilities have caused in the area. He wants to work with Farmington City police to continue to buffer res-i-dents.
ROB DAVIS (R)
A perimeter patrol within a half-mile of the jail has been established. A lot has been done to make residents feel comfortable despite the expansion. We've had a lot of community support in west Farmington and have gone out of our way to help them.
Future jail facilities will have to be expanded outside Farmington. How would you propose to select another site?
BUD E. COX (R)
If we have to build more facilities, we'll have to negotiate with the leaders of other cities. Still, Farmington is the county seat and unless you change that, a certain amount of jail facilities come with that central designation.
ROB DAVIS (R)
We'll basically try not to go where we're not wanted. Citizen committees would be formed to look at various locations elsewhere in the county. We'll gather input from residents. We'll work with cities to make sure we have an appropriate location.
Should the county accept more federal jail facilities in the future?
BUD E. COX (R)
It's always nice to get more facilities, but strings are always attached with any federal money for jails. The county has to have more manpower to handle new facilities - even if they're built with federal funds. There's pro and con with such funding. A balanced decision must be made. Flexibility is also preferred to avoid being locked in on long-term contracts.
ROB DAVIS (R)
Davis County has greatly benefited from federal funding for an expanded jail. The federal government can force its own facilities in an area - if it wants to. I don't anticipate needing more federal facilities, but cooperating with the federal level is wise.
What changes or improvements should be made in the sheriff's department?
BUD E. COX (R)
The county is growing fast and we're especially not up to speed on paramedic service. We need to improve that and also keep response time down. We also need to strive to get more funds from the state to pay for increased security in the county courts. Metal detectors would be nice to have there. Also, the department's vehicle fleet is bordering on being insufficient. We need to keep up with demand.
ROB DAVIS (R)
We need to work with state and other local law enforcement agencies on preparing security for the 2002 Winter Olympics. We need to promote the county's paramedic program, attack the drug problem and also domestic violence. We also need to look at expanding the identification program that highlights the 2 percent of the juveniles who cause most of the crime problems.