Sheriff candidate Zach Van Emerick, a 19-year law-enforcement veteran, emphasizes community policing and deputy morale

Zach Van Emerick, a candidate for Davis County sheriff, told a Davis County Citizen Journalism interview panel that his nearly 20-year law enforcement career and leadership experience would guide a push for community-oriented policing and improved deputy morale.

Van Emerick said he grew up in Davis County, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1999 to 2003 and has spent much of his adult life in policing — including corrections, patrol, service on SWAT and a metro gang unit, promotion to lieutenant, and his current role overseeing the law enforcement bureau as deputy chief for the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. "I've enjoyed being in law enforcement, serving my community," he said.

The candidate described his primary goal as building an organization where deputies have the tools and workplace culture to stay and succeed. "When your people internally are happy and you treat them right, they don't leave," Van Emerick said, adding that a "family culture" among deputies would, in his view, translate into better community interactions.

On tactics, Van Emerick urged more visible, proactive contact between deputies and residents. "Get out of the patrol car," he said, recommending that deputies spend time in parks and public spaces and talk to people rather than only responding to calls for service. He said that approachability would help preserve what he called Davis County's "small-town feel."

Van Emerick framed the sheriff's role in constitutional terms: "I put my life on the line for the Constitution and I will do everything I can to support and defend the Constitution," he said, adding that constitutional fidelity would guide enforcement decisions.

Asked about internal shortcomings in the sheriff's office, he declined to list specific faults with the current administration, saying he has not yet completed an internal review: if elected, he pledged to "interview every single person that works for the sheriff's office and identify those issues if there are issues and then I will adjust and address them as needed."

Van Emerick closed by reiterating his interest in leading organizational change focused on deputies and community engagement and accepted the panel's invitation to future events.