Terry Hansen

I would like to nominate Sgt. Terry Hansen for Utah County Employee of the month. Some of you may know him if you have ever worked in or around the Jail. If you are not sure who he is, let me introduce you to a man who has dedicated around 20 years of his life to the Sheriff’s Office. I believe Sgt. Hansen deserves this recognition. During his service, he has held many different positions. Some of those positions have been working in Jail Industries, Housing, Transportation and probably the best spot for him so far, as a Sergeant in Housing. He told me one of his goals as a Sergeant is he wants to be the type of Sergeant who can help all his deputies succeed in their career. He has reached out to his deputies and asked them for a 5-year plan. Since he has received these, he has been trying to help all his deputies reach these goals. One deputy had a goal to go to patrol, after a couple times the deputy applied and wasn’t selected, Sgt. Hansen took it upon himself to reach out to patrol and inform them about the deputy that was looking to go somewhere else. With Sgt. Hansen’s help Utah County Patrol Division accepted the deputy to patrol. He continues to try and help all his other deputies as well. One thing really stands out about Sergeant Hansen is his work ethic. The Merriam-webster definition of work ethic, “a belief in work as a moral good: a set of values centered on the importance of doing work and reflected especially in a desire or determination to work hard” Most deputies look to go into this profession so they can help do good for their community. The set of values the Sheriff’s office has is exactly what Sgt. Hansen strives to help provide. Not only while at work with inmates and deputies, but in his neighborhood as well.

Sgt. Hansen is always ready to tackle any obstacle with his team. When a situation arises in the jail, he is always happy to have any deputy come and help him. He reaches out to his deputies to make sure they’re all doing well. He also checks with them to see if there is anything he can do to assist them so they’re able to perform their job at a high standard. One specific incident that happened recently, I was escorting a high-risk inmate over to property for release. This specific inmate had made statements that he wants to fight/kill deputies. The inmate was waist chained, handcuffed, and shackled. Booking was busy so I escorted the inmate back to the property window. I took the shackles off and then the handcuffs. Luckily, the inmate didn’t try to fight me and took his clothes and started to change. I turned around and saw Sgt. Hansen standing behind me. He told me he saw who I was escorting and was right there in case anything happened…. In an environment that Housing deputies work in, it is uplifting to know Sgt. Hansen is always there when you need him, and he is always keeping an eye on all deputies to make sure everyone goes home safe. One of the ways he excels at work is if anything is left over from the night before, he will always make sure it gets taken care of. As well as he does his best to make sure Sergeant coming in to relieve him is never left with any extra work. By leading with this example, it brings out the best in the rest of his team as they strive to do the same. Speaking of his team, he treats both deputies and inmates with great professionalism. He is always willing to lend a hand to help or an ear to listen to any issues you’re having that day. He never talks down to anyone about the situations they’re in but will hold them accountable for their actions. He tries to find a way no matter the situation for everyone to succeed. These are just a few reasons why I think Sargent Terry Hansen should be picked for the Utah County Employee of the Month.