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There's a new sheriff in Davis County — the first new department leader in 12 years — and he's got some fresh ideas about improving services to the community.
Sheriff Todd Richardson says his No. 1 priority is to make the department more interactive with the public.
That goal includes teaching citizens how to help themselves in emergency medical situations and how to keep children safe from Internet predators.
Richardson is forming a public outreach and training division to teach first-aid and CPR classes to the public, free of charge. He also wants to take the program into high schools, so every graduate has basic life-saving skills.
"A study by the American Heart Association shows that the earlier you can get CPR started, the better the survivability," Richardson says.
Richardson also wants to make his forensic computer experts available to parents, so they can learn to track the websites visited by their children.
"We're trying to prevent things from happening," he said.
Those aspects of Richardson's outreach program should be up and running by the end of the year.
In another phase, set to begin by April 1, Richardson will assign a liaison officer to each of the department's contract cities: Fruit Heights, South Weber and West Point.
"He will be the go-to guy in every city, with responsibilities like that of a police chief," Richardson said.
They will have an office in the city, attend city council meetings and meet regularly with the mayor and city council regarding law enforcement and public safety issues. "They will know the area deputies to inform of problems," Richardson says.
Richardson also has plans to implement education and work programs for his 750-plus jail inmates. By helping inmates develop a work ethic, Richardson hopes to break the cycle of recidivism.
"You'll see inmates picking up trash on the side of the road and doing community-oriented work programs," he says.
Richardson, 46, succeeded Bud Cox, who retired in December after serving three terms in office.
An Alaska native and former college football player, Richardson and his wife, Pauline, who is a real estate appraiser, have five children ranging in age from 15 to 22.
Richardson has an associate degree in emergency medicine, a bachelor's degree in exercise science and a master's degree in public administration.
Beginning as a campus police officer at Utah State University in Logan, Richardson has spent two decades in law enforcement.
He also has 26 years experience as an emergency medical provider. Richardson's medical background makes him well-suited to lead the Davis County sheriff's department — the only department in Utah where lawmen double as paramedics.
In Davis County, you won't see the unfortunate situation of "a traffic accident in the middle of nowhere and deputy waiting for an ambulance to arrive," Richardson said.
Because patrol deputies carry equipment necessary for both their law enforcement and medical roles, Davis County has one of the fastest paramedic response times in the state, he said.
As required by a state law governing paramedic response, two deputies are dispatched to every call.
"We start treatment when the first person is on the scene," Richardson said. When necessary, his deputies handle the law enforcement aspects of a situation, then "switch over to para-medicine."
Richardson recalled his involvement in a 1997 situation in Layton where a man suspected of drug activity fired at sheriff's deputies then turned the gun on himself.
"I switched to paramedic role," Richardson recalled. "There was no delay. You flip the switch as a paramedic and do what you can."
The man in Layton died. But Richardson says that because of their dual roles, Davis County deputies save lives "on a daily basis."
And, in the event of a Columbine High-like mass shooting situation, Richardson says, Davis County deputies can provide expedited medical care to the wounded.
Richardson added that because of the department's versatility, it is not as vulnerable to the shrinkage occurring in sheriff's officers in other jurisdictions.
"We are as busy as ever, if not busier," Richardson said.