In January, Nelson will begin his 22nd year with Heber City Police, and he’ll do so as second in command there. The department announced his promotion to deputy chief Wednesday.
He says he’ll take on more administrative responsibilities and continue to support the department’s mission to keep Heberites safe.
“We have an awesome community, and it's growing, and I think our leadership at the city has done a good job of trying to steer that growth to be positive, and I think that it's been a good process to be part of that. Hopefully, we can live up to their expectations of what they want their police department to be.”
Formerly a lieutenant, Nelson says he expects to take on some of Chief Dave Booth’s current duties.
Nelson started in law enforcement in 1997 as a dispatcher for the Park City Police Department, where he also worked in corrections. He started in Heber City in 2001. Since then, he has worked as a patrol officer and administrative sergeant before becoming a lieutenant.
He said next year’s finances and having enough officers are priorities as he assumes new responsibilities.
“January's budget time, so our big focus will be budget. Personnel - we're growing as a community. We've had a lot of annexations. We're having a lot of future businesses and homes that are being planned. So, trying to keep up with staffing, I think that's the number one thing.”
As he takes on a higher level of leadership at the department, his office includes 24 sworn officers, six other staff members, four shared employees at the Heber Valley Animal Shelter, about a dozen volunteers, and a dozen more reserve officers.
Nelson grew up in Midway, graduated from Wasatch High School and now lives in Midway with his wife and three children. He’s also an assistant football coach at Wasatch High School.
