Bittersweet time for Babka

It is a bittersweet time for Beau Babka, who says he can't wait to start his new job at the sheriff's office, but in doing so it means leaving 15 years behind at South Salt Lake police, a place he considered home.

"On the one hand I was like, 'Oh my goodness, I can't leave now.' But on the other I was thinking, 'What if this opportunity doesn't come again?"' Babka said.

It was this week that Salt Lake County sheriff-elect made the "official" announcement that Babka would be his new undersheriff, even though rumors of the appointment have been around for several weeks.

Wednesday, Babka made his first public comments to the Deseret Morning News about trading in his South Salt Lake police chief's badge for the new job.

"I'm really excited," he said, while quickly noting the decision was far from easy. "I love the job I had. It was a pretty emotional decision. It was a hard decision."

Babka took over as South Salt Lake police chief at the beginning of the year. He started as a patrol officer with the department in 1992 and quickly rose through the ranks. Today, he is also an instructor of criminal justice and a member of the board of trustees at Salt Lake Community College.

Winder asked Babka in late November if he would be his undersheriff. Babka said it took him between a week to 10 days and lots of talks with friends, family and Winder before he reached his decision.

"I'm pretty humbled and pretty gratified Jim would even ask me," he said. "I was shocked. I was very shocked when he asked me. I didn't think I would be the guy."

But Babka said as much as he loved South Salt Lake, he also fell in love with the sheriff's office and its duties when he ran against Sheriff Aaron Kennard in 2002 and was defeated.

Babka calls himself a strategist and looks forward to helping Winder's vision of helping the sheriff's office progress by building trust and strengthening communities.

"My style is lead by example," he said. "I feel I know the cities of the county and what they need and like, and hope to bring that. I hope to help enhance Sheriff Winder's vision. ... I'm really excited to be a part of this."

One area Babka said he hopes to learn more about is the corrections side of the sheriff's office.

Also this week, Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Shane Hudson was selected to be Winder's chief deputy over the Law Enforcement Bureau while Chief Deputy Rollin Cook will keep his watch over the Corrections Bureau.

Hudson said he was "shocked" when he was asked to become chief deputy and even joked later with other deputies that he "got light-headed" when Winder approached him about the position.

Hudson carries with him nearly two decades of experience with the sheriff's office. He has worked on the streets and in the schools for the majority of that time as well as helping to train other deputies. He hopes being not that far removed from working with the "ground level troops," as he called them, helps him promote Winder's vision of progression for the sheriff's office and its deputies.

"I plan on keeping my feet on the ground as much as I can and not forget where I came from," he said. "I hope I bring a lot of energy. The troops are excited for me," he said.

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E-mail: preavy@desnews.com