Eric Mainord has spent over 15 years in law enforcement and has spent the past four years as a detective in the major crimes division of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.
The Heber City local said he decided to run for Wasatch County sheriff because he believes he can improve the culture of the department and forge good relationships with locals and law enforcement agencies across the Wasatch Back.
“If you can get deputies happy and excited to be there and enjoying their job, and they like to come to work, I think that’ll translate out into the community,” he said.
He wants to emulate the leadership style he’s seen in Summit County, where he says deputies focus on treating locals with respect and handling cases “like our own grandmother was the victim.”
Mainord enjoys investigative work and is among the detectives who’s investigated the Kouri Richins case. The Kamas woman faces murder charges in connection with her husband’s death and will stand trial in February.
Mainord said his investigative experience could be an asset to the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office.
“We’ve been into a lot of big cases here these last few years and had a lot of opportunities to really dig in and do some fantastic police work,” he said. “That Richins investigation gave our officers at Summit the opportunity to get into the digital forensics aspect, and that’s something else that I would be a big proponent of bringing over to Wasatch County.”
If elected, the Republican said he will prioritize creating strong partnerships with Summit County, Park City and Heber City law enforcement.
He said his style of leadership is transparent and hands-on.
“If I were to be elected sheriff, you would see me in the crosswalks, in the schools and out in the community,” he said.
Mainord said he’d like to improve retention, so the sheriff’s office doesn’t need to rely on so much overtime. He would also like to take a close look at the budget and ensure the office is running smoothly before asking for funding increases.
“This county deserves the best of the best, and I think we can do that,” he said.
Incumbent Sheriff Jared Rigby is running for reelection. As of midday Thursday, Jan. 8, Wasatch County Emergency Management Director Jeremy Hales had also entered the race.
