New chief brings both Sanpete

and out of county experiences

 

By Robert Stevens

Managing editor

Jan. 11, 2018

 

FAIRVIEW—Fairview’s new mayor, David Taylor, doesn’t mind bragging about the city’s new police chief, Jeremy Wright.

“We really got the right man for the job,” Taylor said. “The citizens are just starting to learn his qualifications. I have had law enforcement from Utah County ask me ‘how did you get him?’ because his experience was so extensive and he was such a great cop.”

At age 46, Wright, a Saratoga Springs police officer, already had 18 years of law enforcement experience under his belt—eight in Tooele and 10 in Saratoga Springs—and was working his way up the ladder to the rank of sergeant.

Taylor provided the Messenger a copy of Wright’s resume, which had a list of professional accomplishments both extensive and varied.

And Wright is no stranger to Sanpete County.

His family has owned property in Hideaway Valley for decades, and he says he and his family, which includes his wife, Jody, and their seven children, have spent countless getaways to the family vacation property.

Wright was hoping to retire to the Sanpete Valley when his time in Saratoga Springs Police Department was up.

When Fairview’s former police chief, Bob Bingham, asked Fairview City leadership to line up a replacement so he could retire, Wright saw the job opening and thought maybe he and his family could make the move to Sanpete sooner if he could get the job.

“For my wife and me, that has always been the plan,” Wright said. “We wanted to retire to this small community and get out of the hustle and bustle. I saw this posting and thought this was the perfect way to get down here fulltime. This new job makes it so I am already here when I retire.”

Although over a dozen candidates applied for the job as Fairview City police chief, six rose to the top for consideration, and Taylor said it was a tough choice, but, in the end, an obvious one.

The variety and overwhelming amount of experience Wright has in law enforcement disciplines (and even fire and HAZMAT training) made him stand out from the rest, Taylor said. The numerous awards, letters of commendation and special positions of importance—such as President of the Utah Association of School Resource Officers—on his resume didn’t hurt either.

The new Fairview chief of police says his work with schools, and time as a school resource officer, has often been the highlight of his career.

Wright’s family is currently in the middle of purchasing a house and transplanting themselves to Fairview to live there fulltime. He said the transition may take a few months, but until then he is renting a house in Fairview, and his family comes to visit him on the weekends until they move into the family’s permanent house.

Wright said he isn’t looking to making any big changes to the way Fairview’s policing works. The small department, made up entirely of Wright and part-time officer Joseph Franklin, may be smaller than the departments in Utah County, but so is Fairview’s population.

And Wright said he is looking forward to getting to know his new neighbors and having the opportunity to serve them as his police chief.

Wright said the change from Saratoga Springs policing to rural police chief has a lot of perks that come with it. He said he and his sons have always enjoyed hunting and the outdoors, and the new duties and move to Fairview only make it that much more accessible on his off-time, but he said he chose to move specifically to Fairview so he can be readily available to serve its people.

“Here in a community that is small, you get to know people,” Wright said. If a youth is having a problem, “we can sit down with his parents and find a solution. Or if he needs someone to talk to, I want him to be able to come to me.”

He added, “My door is always open. My goal isn’t to change things here. I work for the people. If they want something changed, that’s the change I need to make happen.”

Wright said from his experience, law enforcement can make some people jaded, but he chooses not to have that outlook.

“My mindset is there is no such thing as a bad person. There are just good people who might make bad choices,” he said. “The gravity of the choice can land on a spectrum. If they did something really bad, they will have to deal with me, but at the end of the day I don’t hold any grudges. I am just a person too.”

Wright said he, his wife and their children—Brandon, Weston, Cade, Kodi, Wyatt, Gage and Porter—are looking forward to settling into their new community.