About 100 people filled the Wasatch County Senior Center and more than 100 others tuned in online to get to know Jared Rigby and Jeremy Hales, the Republicans vying for the county’s top law enforcement job.
Rigby, the incumbent sheriff, is seeking a third term. Hales is Wasatch County’s director of emergency management.
At the forum moderated by KPCW and The Wasatch Record, the candidates discussed topics ranging from diversity in the sheriff’s office to the biggest challenges facing the community.
Both candidates also spoke about transparency and public trust in the wake of numerous investigations into Rigby and the sheriff’s office since March 2025.
Most recently, the Summit County Attorney’s Office confirmed it’s investigating Rigby for alleged felony obstruction of justice.
Rigby said investigators have repeatedly found no wrongdoing.
“That's how all of these – four of the five investigations – are,” he said. “The fifth one will end up the same way. [It’s] a matter of time as they do their due process, which I support and cooperate with, that's fine. But these are politically motivated accusations, the timing of them.”
KPCW has reported on the findings of investigations by retired Judge Richard McKelvie, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office and Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training.
Hales said the investigations have sparked concerns among residents.
“What I’m going to do, if I’m elected sheriff, is I’m going to be open and transparent with you,” he said. “I’m going to have a public information officer that’s assigned to the office, and they’re going to be giving out information, and we’re going to be able to solicit questions from you.”
The two men answered several questions submitted by the audience. One resident asked about how the candidates would hire, promote and retain women and people of color in the sheriff’s office.
Hales said the department is enriched by women’s perspectives.
“They just bring a different mindset to the whole program,” he said. “They bring a calm to the storm. I’ve seen it. I watch it every single day, what our female teammates do, and I appreciate their work. And we need to have more of them in our office.”
Rigby focused on existing programs and incentives to promote diversity.
“We have seen promotions, both individuals that identify themselves as being of a minority, and we're happy to include more in our command staff, in our supervision,” he said. “We pay our employees more if they speak another language.”
The candidates also answered questions about immigration enforcement, artificial intelligence, handling growth and more.
A full recording of the forum is available here.
The primary election is June 23. Former Republican candidate Eric Mainord withdrew from the race May 27. His name appears on the ballot, but votes cast for him will not be counted.
Whoever wins the primary will face Paul Moore, a newly declared candidate who’s not affiliated with a party, in the November general election.
