Email Address
Atkin4sheriff@gmail.com
Telephone
8018858139
I am the best candidate for Davis County Sheriff because my experience is broad, current, and directly connected to today’s law enforcement challenges. I am the only candidate currently working inside the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, giving me firsthand knowledge of the agency’s people, operations, culture, strengths, and needs.
I have served over a decade in law enforcement, with leadership in Internal Affairs, investigations, SWAT, training, emergency response, and operational improvement. My background also includes EMS, firefighting, military police, and military intelligence as a Utah Air National Guard Captain with a Top Secret/SCI clearance. I bring active service, proven leadership, and a clear vision for Davis County’s future.
Tracking of these metrics are not done but should be so we know what works. Before asking more of jail staff, we must first address understaffing.
Recidivism rates are hard to answer because we don't capture the data to track, however, for Utah it's about 20%. As Sheriff, I will focus on accountability and common-sense rehabilitation by improving jail-based treatment, reentry planning, and coordination with Adult Probation and Parole, Davis Behavioral Health, courts, cities, and partners. People leaving jail should have a real plan for treatment, medication continuity, employment resources, identification, housing, and supervision. I would also expand responsible volunteer involvement, I know firsthand of people wanting to help do more.
Integrity and public trust are not campaign slogans to me; they are responsibilities I have worked with directly for the past three and a half years as the Internal Affairs Investigator for the Davis County Sheriff’s Office. In that role, I have seen how important accountability, ethics, transparency, and fair processes are to maintaining public confidence.
I also believe the Sheriff’s Office owes it to the general public to actually develop strategic plans and goals with timeframes and hold ourself to the fire of expectation and then report back on our progress of those annual goals to the public. I have met many officials at the city levels who feel disenfranchised with the Sheriff's Office, I recognize that and committed to improvement
Unfunded mandates can place a serious burden on counties when state or federal agencies create requirements without providing funding. As Sheriff, I will push back against mandates that shift costs onto Davis County taxpayers and work to ensure the agency creating the requirement helps pay for it. I would coordinate with local police chiefs, the Utah Sheriffs’ Association, other sheriffs, mayors, commissioners, and legislators so Davis County has a strong, united voice. I would also be transparent with residents about what is required, who made the decision, what it costs, how it impacts staffing and public safety, and whether I support it.
Unfunded mandates have placed significant strain on the Sheriff's Office, I have seen it.
As a current in-house employee of the Davis County Sheriff’s Office, I believe the greatest opportunity for improvement is strengthening staffing, culture, morale, and employee support. Staffing in the jail, courts, and patrol is often at minimum levels, creating strain on employees and limiting service to the community. As Sheriff, I will focus on making the Office a better, more enjoyable place to work by moving away from authoritarian leadership and toward a transformational model. Specific steps would include holding administrators accountable, replacing subjective annual merit evaluations tied to raises with a clear step system, and creating a deputy/civilian employee board to bring ideas, concerns, and operational improvement ideas.
Email Address
aaron@perryforsheriff.com
Telephone
8016430336
I have 23.5 years of law enforcement experience. I served the first 16 years of my career at the Davis County Sheriff's Office, serving the last seven years at the rank of Sergeant. I then served as Deputy Chief of the Roy City Police Department for three years, before moving to the Weber County Sheriff's Office for six years. At the Weber County Sheriff's Office, I led the corrections, enforcement and administrative divisions as Chief Deputy, spending approximately two years in each division. I have a Master of Public Administration from Brigham Young University, and I am a graduate of the FBI National Academy. I have nine years of executive level law enforcement experience. I have supervised every responsibility a Sheriff's Office has.
Out of 657 individuals incarcerated in the Davis County Jail on 5/26/2026, the average number of previous bookings per inmate was 3.62. While at Weber County, I helped Sheriff Arbon start the "bridge the gap program" which focused on removing barriers to success after incarceration. These barriers included lack of identification and transportation. The program evolved to a full re-entry program with a supervisor, a forensic peer recovery coach and four community re-entry coordinators who build individual re-entry plans, which include pre -release referrals and resources and post release follow-ups. Over a one-year period, Weber County saw a 45% reduction in recidivism. I believe Davis County could benefit from a similar program.
The first commitment I will make as Sheriff to build and maintain community trust is to walk each of our contract cities in uniform once a week. I want to interact with you in your neighborhoods to understand your concerns and answer your questions.
As the Sheriff, demonstrating accountability and ethical conduct means "going ugly early" which means when mistakes are made, we will get in front of them quickly, take appropriate action to ensure that the mistake won't occur again and then promptly get that information out to the community. The information will be released through social media and local media outlets. As needed, we will also hold in person town hall meetings to discuss the issues, understand concerns and answer questions.
The best way to advocate for potential unfunded mandates is by participating in the Law Enforcement Legislative Committee meetings during each legislative session. During my time at Weber County, I participated in these committee meetings. In these meetings every bill that has a potential impact on law enforcement is reviewed including those that may include an unfunded mandate. Communication with residents will occur through department social media pages, our website and through in person or online town hall meetings. These town hall meetings will provide opportunities for citizens to express their concerns and for the Sheriff's Office to extend calls to action to the community, such as contacting your representative.
Leadership Training - I plan to focus on helping employees prepare for promotions and future leadership opportunities in the Office. My goal is to train my replacements. I plan to implement Outward Mindset training by the Arbinger Institute. This training helps employees see the humanity in others, not just the next call for service. Working with the right mindset helps employees connect with the community, break down silos and reduce uses of force.
Employee Wellness - Sheriff Sparks has implemented a great employee mental health program. I plan to build on this program by expanding the training and resources to families of employees and including classes on personal finance, time and stress management, physical fitness and sleep.
