Four Republicans face off in the primary
Four Republican candidates for San Juan County sheriff outlined their credentials, priorities and critiques of the current system during a Farmington Rio del Sol Kiwanis forum Thursday, drawing a lunchtime crowd to No Worries Sports Bar & Grill at the Four Corners Regional Airport.
Over the course of an hour, Sheriff’s Office Capt. Kevin Burns, Adult Detention Center Administrator Daniel Webb, former Sheriff Ken Christesen and former deputy Jon Nyce used five-minute introductions to describe their law enforcement backgrounds and the issues they say are driving crime and turnover in the county.
Their remarks focused on recidivism, mental health pressures, recruitment and retention, training, technology and community trust, setting the stage for a competitive Republican primary.
The forum began shortly after noon, with moderator Kathy Hogan asking Burns to lead off.
During his narcotics work, Burns said he helped dismantle large-scale drug trafficking organizations, sometimes working cases that extended into Arizona alongside federal and local agencies.
He later rose through the ranks, becoming patrol lieutenant, detective lieutenant and captain in 2019. Burns oversees detectives, narcotics, evidence, records and the public information officer.
Recidivism is one of the county’s biggest failures, Burns said, arguing the Corrections Division is releasing people “with lack of support,” resulting in nearly 50% of those with third- and fourth-degree felonies returning to the system within three years.
Burns said he supports a “hybrid model” for pretrial cases that would give judges more autonomy to determine when individuals should be held without bail and when release should be limited by conditions.
From a wellness standpoint, Burns said, “We’ve got to take care of the crime fighters first,” adding that while awareness has grown, more work is needed to support deputies physically and mentally. He also emphasized including families in celebrations, calling law enforcement a “tough job.”
On technology, Burns said the office is close to implementing Peregrine Data Analytics, which will allow near real-time crime analysis. The system will help identify crime hot spots and guide resource allocation, he said.
Community engagement remains essential, Burns added. “
We got to get our guys and gals out of the cars, talking to our citizens and identifying those quality of life issues.”
He said past rhetoric such as “defund the police” hurt recruitment and retention but added staffing numbers are now improving.
Webb thanked attendees and described his background, saying he grew up in small-town Oklahoma, joined the U.S. Army after high school and moved to Farmington in 1994.
“I’m Christian, I’m a husband, I’m a father. Most of all, I’m a proud father. I’m U.S. Army veteran, a law enforcement veteran, and forever, a public servant,” Webb said. “I’m not here to make promises. I’m here to be honest about me and my intentions.”
Webb began his law enforcement career in 1997 as a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office. He later served as a school resource officer, sergeant and lieutenant before becoming deputy warden at the Adult Detention Center in 2012. He has served as administrator for the past six years.
He said he manages the county’s largest secure, short-term confinement facility with a $23 million budget.
Leadership requires action and accountability, Webb said, adding trust is essential for any law enforcement agency.
“It starts with community policing, and I don’t just mean the slogan … building real relationships, face to face,” he said.
As a school resource officer, Webb said he worked closely with students and families, teaching programs designed to keep kids away from gangs and violence, adding that he wants greater law enforcement presence in schools, churches and neighborhoods.
Webb said deputies are often unsupported and expected to “do more with less.”
“I’ll focus on recruiting and retaining the best law enforcement personnel,” he said. “As sheriff, I’ll stand behind the men and women wearing the badge.”
Webb also pointed to mental health and addiction as major drivers of crime and recidivism. His vision includes forming a mental health task force and strengthening partnerships with mental health providers.
Christesen said his law enforcement career began in 1989 as a reserve deputy and quickly became a calling, even though it meant leaving higher-paying oil field work.
He became a detective in 1990 and said he worked multiple death penalty cases during his career.
“I know I’m the only one that had anything to do with death penalty cases,” Christesen said. “I had four death penalty cases on my desk at one time.”
As a sergeant, Christesen said he trained deputies in warrants and arrests, adding that all three of the other candidates worked under him at different points.
While working narcotics with Region II, Christesen said he uncovered corruption within law enforcement and worked with the FBI, resulting in the arrest of a state police officer and a former deputy.
Christesen retired in 2010 to run for sheriff and was elected. He said the office became more proactive during his tenure, citing investments in facilities and forensic capabilities.
He called for hiring a crime scene analyst, adding more crime scene technicians and ending what he described as a catch-and-release approach. He also said qualified immunity should end.
Nyce said he entered law enforcement in 2009 as a sheriff’s deputy after working in the housing market. He later became an agent with the Region II Task Force, working undercover against drug cartels.
Nyce said wiretaps led to 39 federal indictments, many involving the Sinaloa Cartel. He later worked as a detective on a child sex case that Judge John Dean described as the worst of his career, Nyce said.
Nyce left the Sheriff’s Office after 10 years, saying he disagreed with the agency’s direction. About 23 deputies left around the same time, he said.
“And the biggest thing is none of us felt valued,” Nyce said. “The training wasn’t there … the equipment was bad.”
Nyce said mental health challenges take a heavy toll on deputies, citing daily exposure to trauma. “We actually had a suicide from one of our detectives,” he said.
Deputies never know what they are walking into, Nyce said. “They call it a routine traffic stop. Nothing’s routine about a traffic stop.”
Nyce, who has taught at the police academy, said better training is needed to improve report writing, which he said can affect whether offenders remain in custody.
Now working in the public defender’s office, Nyce said he reviews reports daily and has repeatedly warned the Sheriff’s Office that “we have a real problem.”