Welcome Sanpete County Republicans
Sanpete County Republican Delegates to elect new sheriff.
Sanpete County delegates to elect new sheriff February 2020. Click above for more info.
Keith S. Jensen
My name is Keith S. Jensen and I am running for Sanpete County Sheriff. A lifetime dedicated to public service has given me a broad range of personal and professional experience. My military service taught me valuable lessons in commitment, loyalty, and sacrifice. My experience as a public official has taught me to respect other points of view, make judgments based on collaborative efforts, and appreciate others who dedicate themselves to their communities. Most importantly, my experience as a law enforcement officer has taught me empathy, perseverance, and compassion. I am a studious and analytical person who will continue to seek out challenges and ways to serve Sanpete County.
I am a graduate of North Sanpete High School, University of Phoenix (A.A. degree Aviation Technology), and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (B.S. degree Workforce Education and Development). I am proud to be a Veteran of this great country, having served on active duty in the US Navy as an Aviation Warfare Specialist with deployments to Guantanamo Bay Cuba, Haiti, Bosnia, and the Persian Gulf.
I completed Utah Valley University Police Academy and have been employed by the Sanpete County Sheriff’s Office since 2015. In 2017 I was promote to Patrol Sergeant and have been an integral part of the Sheriff’s administrative team for the past three years. As Patrol Sergeant I have been assigned numerous administrative duties and am responsible for the day to day supervision and case management of the patrol deputies. I have been assigned and completed numerous additional administrative projects and have been responsible for the implementation of valuable recruiting and retention policies that include a new lateral transfer policy, special coverage overtime policy, and call out policy. I have been assigned as the department Phlebotomy Manager overseeing and implementing policy on blood evidence collection. I am a POST certified Firearms Instructor, Glock Armorer, Less-lethal Instructor, DUI program manager, a qualified Advanced Observer/Sniper, and I hold a POST Mid-Management Certificate. I have been involved with and conducted numerous criminal investigations; including assisting in numerous high profile cases in Sanpete County. I am very familiar with Sanpete County Emergency Operations Management and have been part of the emergency operations planning for large gathering incidents such as the Mormon Miracle Pageant, Direct Action Everywhere protests, and the Sanpete County Fair. I have worked closely with the Sanpete County Fire District and have assisted on numerous wildland fires is Sanpete County, and have assisted many local fire departments with structure fires within their cities. I have worked very closely with the Sanpete Search and Rescue being deployed on numerous calls providing both law enforcement assistance, logistics support, and incident command. I have assisted with hundreds of EMS calls and have worked very closely with all Sanpete County’s ambulance associations; and in 2019 I was awarded a Life Saving Medal. In addition to my assigned Sheriff’s Office duties, I am currently an investigator for the State of Utah’s Office of the Medical Examiner.
I have served as a City Councilman of Wales Town, and from 2014-2020 was elected as the Wales Town Mayor. As the Mayor and chief executive officer of the town I was responsible for budgeting, and overseeing town departments and supervision of town employees. I was responsible for drafting and overseeing the town budget that included management of the General Fund, Enterprise Fund, and Town Savings. I worked closely, with the Community Impact Board (CIB), the Division of Rural Water, Six Counties Association of Government, and the Utah League of Cities and Town (ULTC). During my time as Mayor, Wales Town was able to build a new town hall, complete a major road improvement project, and secure funding for a new fire station. I lead and oversaw a large water well replacement project, and at the end of my term secured emergency funding from USDA Rural Development for the replacement of an additional well. The Wales Town Master Plan was revised and a new Emergency Management Plan was drafted. I organized and conducted community events including the very successful annual Welsh Days celebration. I led Wales Town with fiscally conservative principles adding little to no additional debt to the budget. During my time as Mayor I developed valuable relationships the local communities and worked closely with local elected officials.
Along with my time as an elected official I have served Sanpete County in numerous ways. In 2014 I was appointed as the Sanpete County Public Lands Council chairman. The Public Lands Council is charged with bringing public lands stakeholders together to discuss and provide transparency to important public lands issues. This council is made up of numerous federal agencies, local officials, representatives of the farming community, timber industry, and local citizens. I have also been a member of numerous other boards and committees in Sanpete County including the North Sanpete Ambulance Board, Sanpete County Landfill Co-op Board, and Children’s Justice Center Multi-Disciplinary Team. I have served on Sanpete County’s Local Emergency Planning Committee who is responsible for planning for local emergencies and assists in developing the county’s emergency response plan. Through these associations I have developed great working relationships with its members and have a valuable understanding of these important community functions.
In 2018 I was asked by the Commissioners of Sanpete County to chair Sanpete County’s Pay/Policy Committee. This committee was chartered to study and develop a new pay and policy system for Sanpete County. The committee presented the Commissioners an exhaustive study on the current pay system. This study included a comparison of current county wages compared to statewide averages, county population projections, and the need for future county services. At the end of the study the committee provided the Commissioners with a new county wide pay plan that included a new pay scale, job descriptions, and new recruiting and retention policies. In 2019 the Commissioners approved and adopted the plan providing the county a more stable and predictive pay system that will aid in future budgeting and planning.
I am a proud to be a lifelong Republican. I have been a State and County Delegate for Sanpete County Republican Party for many years, and am currently Sanpete County’s representative on the Republican Party State Central Committee. I support Republican principles of fiscal responsibility and a limited government. I support a strong national defense that defends liberty and the american way of life. I am an active defender of the 2nd amendment and strongly support and encourage the right to keep and bear arms.
I am so thankful that I was able to be born and raised in Sanpete County. My wife Carol and I feel lucky to be able to raise our three girls in Sanpete. I feel a very special connection to all the citizens of Sanpete County and I look forward to continuing to serve the community.
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