Winder ready for change

Jim Winder said he never aspired to be the Salt Lake County sheriff, but his passion for change got him there because no one else wanted to challenge the long-entrenched incumbent, Aaron Kennard.

Overcoming the odds and a 30-point deficit just one month before the election, Winder pulled off the upset with a runaway victory in November.

Today, at the Sheriff's Office Building on 3300 South, the signs of a change in command are evident. The words "Sheriff Jim Winder" spelled out with big block letters greet visitors in the waiting lobby of his office. Winder's office is at this point mostly empty except for a few computers that are set up and ready to go. All are signs of a new sheriff in town anxious to get to work.

Winder is required by law to spend part of his time at the Salt Lake County complex near 2100 S. State. His hope is he can do a few administrative duties each morning there, then spend the majority of his time at the 3300 South building working on ways to improve law enforcement for the county. The new sheriff says he even hopes to eventually work a few afternoon and graveyard shifts into his routine so he can be out with his deputies.

When talking with Winder, his passion and enthusiasm for the sheriff's office is quickly evident. His face holds a resemblance to Indianapolis Colts star quarterback Peyton Manning but with a slight graying more reminiscent of Archie Manning.

And like the Mannings, it would seem the groundwork to law enforcement was paved by the elder Winder's footsteps. But Jim Winder became a cop in a more roundabout way.

David Winder is a senior U.S. District judge and was for many years the attorney for the Salt Lake Police Association. His son, Jim, was born in Salt Lake City and attended East High School, followed by community college and Westminster College.

After graduation, Winder went into construction rather than law enforcement, working as a welder. The work was physically demanding and extremely difficult, including a memorable stint for all the wrong reasons working on a mine in Nevada. It was at that point Winder decided to make a switch to law enforcement.

But he says those years of blue-collar labor gave him a good perspective on his job today.

"All those experiences helped a lot," he said.

He first went to Department of Corrections at the Utah State Prison, where he was assigned to the diagnostic unit.

"That was a fascinating time. It was really interesting," he remembers.