There wouldn't be a need for a UPD if the cities were happy with the service provided by the sheriff's office, Winder said. If elected, Winder said he would improve service levels by establishing clear pricing levels so the cities know what they are paying for when they hire the sheriff's office to provide police protection.

Both candidates say they have the support of the employees.

More than 130 rank-and-file deputies say they feel Kennard is "out of touch" and "unapproachable" and are endorsing Winder.

"This time the deputies have just had enough," said Shawn Roberts, president of the Salt Lake County Deputy Sheriffs' Federation. "What we feel we need is leadership directly from the sheriff, addressing our concerns and our needs. And it hasn't been there. Jim Winder is a leader."

Winder founded the Salt Lake County Sheriffs' Federation and stepped down as its president to run for sheriff.

Winder borrowed one of Kennard's old campaign slogans to "Ask a cop," but added to it: Winder asked voters to not only ask a cop, but "any public safety officer." Local firefighters are also endorsing Winder, as well as the Salt Lake Police Association, which represents 320 front-line police officers from the Salt Lake City streets.

Kennard said employees from all divisions of the sheriff's office, not just deputies, support his re-election bid.

More than 330 deputies and corrections officers from the Fraternal Order of Police have endorsed him, as well as the Utah Public Employees' Association, which represents civilian employees in the sheriff's office.

"My people support me," Kennard said. The sheriff said he plans on asking the County Council to approve a 2.75 percent pay raise for all sworn personnel during the upcoming budget session.

If re-elected, Kennard said he wants to start negotiating with the County Council to start jail expansion as soon as possible. Kennard wants to build a new pod with 500 beds sometime in the next three years and another pod in six years. With the population continuing to climb and the jail already at capacity, Kennard said something needs to be done now.

"We're full now. Do we want to wait until we're under a court order to start building?"

Instead of pushing for more jail space, Winder said the sheriff should be focusing on building up the county's alternatives to incarceration program. But with the system as is, Salt Lake County leaders are blindly developing an alternatives to incarceration program, Winder said.