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Candidates stress deputy mental-health supports, peer programs and culture to lift morale
Summary
At a county forum, sheriff candidates proposed building a 'family' culture, peer-support and resilience programs, and independent staffing audits to improve morale and retain deputies; several cited ongoing LCSW services and federal grant opportunities.
In response to audience questions about deputy morale and retention, candidates running for Davis County sheriff described multiple initiatives they would pursue to retain staff and reduce burnout.
Aaron Perry emphasized establishing or expanding mental-health supports and a resilience program for deputies, citing the need for an LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) or equivalent and federal grant funding to sustain those services. Several candidates recommended peer-support teams, confidential counseling, and an early-warning system to identify at-risk officers.
On retention, the candidates generally agreed that pay alone will not solve turnover: culture and supervision matter. Proposals included building a family-first leadership culture, creating mechanisms for line-level input (such as deputy/civilian advisory boards), mentoring programs and more visible leadership presence in the jail and on patrol.
Candidates also urged independent audits of staffing and organizational structure to identify mismatches between leadership roles and frontline workloads. Multiple speakers said the sheriff’s office has been understaffed in recent years and that careful reallocation, better training, and attention to supervisors could improve retention without unsustainable budget increases.
