Deputy to challenge Davis sheriff

Though official filing deadlines haven't arrived, two men have already decided to run for Davis County sheriff.

One of them is the obvious candidate: the current sheriff, Bud Cox, who is nearing the end of his second four-year term.

The other candidate is less well-known, but he has a law-enforcement background. In fact, he works for Cox.

Todd Richardson, 41, has worked as a deputy and paramedic for the Davis County Sheriff's Office since 1996 and plans to run against Cox for the second time. He lost to Cox in 2002 after failing to make it through a Republican convention.

In 2004, he ran for a Utah legislative seat and lost that, too.

"All I've been hearing is people urging me to run," Richardson said. "We're in need of change — a new thought process."

Many of those encouraging voices come from inside the sheriff's office, he said.

Cox said he is surprised to hear if there is dissent in the ranks.

"I haven't heard complaints from employees," he said. "Things have been going, I thought, fairly well over the past year. . . . I've got a wide-open-door policy. If anyone has anything they're upset with, they're free to come in and talk."

Richardson said the sheriff's office needs more opportunities for emergency vehicle operations training and more shooting practice.

"I've been here 10 years and I've had two EVO courses," Richardson said.

"We offer it," Cox said. "It doesn't necessarily mean people are going to take advantage of it. . . . I can't help it if he's only had two EVO classes."

Cox said all sworn, armed officers are required to pass at least one gun proficiency test each year.

Richardson said if he's elected sheriff, he will be the first to meet the county's annual physical fitness requirements. Currently, the sheriff, as an elected official, can be exempt from fitness tests. And Cox has exempted himself.

"You ought to lead by example," Cox said. "Maybe it's not the greatest example to set."

He added that he is working out regularly to get himself in better shape and that he may be able to pass the fitness test in a short amount of time.