Republican Dave Edmunds, Summit County’s incumbent sheriff, said he will campaign for a third term in office in 2010.

Edmunds spoke to The Park Record about his campaign even though he cannot officially declare himself a candidate until the filing window opens March 12. The Oakley resident was elected sheriff by defeating Democrat Joe Offret in 2002.

“We have changed this organization from the top down,” Edmunds said. “It needed to be completely overhauled and that has been accomplished.”

However, he has developed some critics along the way.

“You cannot go through that painful process and not pick up some malcontents and detractors,” Edmunds said. “Any time that you’re out there and you are leading from the front, you are going to pick up your detractors.”

No Republicans have publicly expressed interest in running against Edmunds. But Francis Democrat Dax Shane said he hopes to face off against the GOP in November. Shane has been a Salt Lake City police officer for more than seven years.

He would work to reduce employee turnover at the Sheriff’s Office if he is elected, Shane said.

“Recruitment and training of new recruits is far more costly than promoting and rewarding our current team. The citizens of Summit County are concerned by the significant turnover in the Sheriff’s Office, and that is something I intend to solve,” Shane said in a prepared statement. “Strong leadership, consistent and efficient on-the-job training, and employee-retention programs will reduce both employee turnover and expenses.”

Shane said he was raised in Park City and graduated from Park City High School.

“My intention as sheriff is to further our community’s remarkable sense of belonging and to ensure that our residents’ sense of security improves as the inevitable and exponential growth of our communities continues,” Shane said. “Approachability and trust are two important aspects of policing. Under my leadership I will ensure that the entire department is accountable and prepared to use good judgment, prudence and respect in their encounters with the citizens and visitors of Summit County.”

But unseating Edmunds on Election Day will be difficult, said Henry Glasheen, chairman of the Summit County Republican Party.

“Unless somebody comes out of the blue that no one’s expecting I don’t think anyone is going to beat him,” Glasheen said.

Edmunds is standing on his record in his latest bid for elected office.

The Sheriff’s Office formed its offender review board on his watch, which meets monthly with people who are on parole in Summit County.

Meanwhile, Edmunds said a citizen advisory panel he helped create has allowed deputies to receive more public feedback.

Today more deputies in Summit County have bachelor’s degrees than when he took over in 2003, Edmunds said.

“When I got here there was one person who had a bachelor’s degree. Now we have a dozen people and three of those have post-graduate degrees,” he said. “As this election progresses I think the Summit County residents will demand that their sheriff possesses a demonstrated competency, specifically as it relates to running an organization the size and complexity of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.”

Edmunds has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Utah.

“This office is functioning at an extremely high level,” Edmunds said. “If you are looking to initiate major overhauls, you better have a lot of experience, you better have a lot of education in government operations and you better have a lot of overly creative ideas because we are doing some extremely innovative things here.”