Sgt. Les Wilberg to retire after 33 years

By Patsy Stoddard
Editor

Sgt. Les Wilberg will be retiring after 33 years with the Emery County Sheriff’s Office. Jan. 31 will be his last day and a retirement luncheon is planned to honor his service.
Sgt. Wilberg said, “I was born in Price and raised in Emery County. I attended Emery High and the Utah Technical college. I worked at the Hunter Plant during the construction phase 1974-1984. I went to Intermountain Power for one year on construction. But, I wanted to come home so I decided to apply at the sheriff’s office. Tom Harrison and I applied and were hired on the same day.
“I started as a dispatcher for two and a half years and then went to POST. It was a good experience. I went out on the road and then into investigation for several years. Then I went back out on the road. I really like being out with the people. I worked 25 years under Sheriff LaMar Guymon and then the last 7 years with Sheriff Greg Funk.
“I’ve had a lot of fun times. The dynamics have changed so much over the years. It used to be low key and people could make a mistake, but now everything is by the book. Also the perception of police officers has changed over the years. The perception of right and wrong have changed. There’s people who don’t think anything is wrong. There are people who want to blame everyone else for everything.
“I’ve really learned a lot along the way. There’s the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. You could give everyone a ticket for going over 65 mph. But, you can talk to people and listen to them and reason with them. Some things are left to the officer’s discretion. It’s up to us to educate people.
“One of the toughest things to deal with is death or injury involving children. That’s always tough.
“I’ve really liked helping people. You are always dealing with people when they are at their worst, but you can always help and you know that.
“I’ve been on the scuba team, the rope rescue, haz-mat teams and confined space team. I’ve tried to become educated on all there is to learn in working with other agencies like the EMTs and fire departments, it’s all been very rewarding to me.
“It’s going to be hard for me to flip the switch and be a regular citizen. The sheriff’s office is involved in everything, we’re always there, even if it’s in the background. It will be strange not to be a part of that. But, being a police officer is really a young man’s job.
“I may work part time at Genco Mine Service and I want to be involved in planning and zoning and the trails and travel council. I am certified to run the Trail Cat and I want to work on trails for motorcycles and ATVs.
“It will be nice to get away from the stress and relax. I want to go 4-wheeling and hunt with my boys and go camping and do some golfing.
“I really love to swim and two or three days I will go swim a mile. I love to go to the high school sports. I would really like to stay involved in the community.
“One of the times I know we made a difference was with the rescue of Justin Harris. We really made a difference and saved his life. Justin even named his daughter Emery because he was so grateful for what we did for him.
“Even when we have to deliver death notices, it’s always rewarding to know you can be there for people.
“I’ve made friends in every town, you know everybody’s business in this job. I could tell you when and where people go to walk, what time they shut the lights off to go to bed. You just learn to watch everything.
“My wife Linda grew up in Sunset and she moved down here to teach school. That’s when I met her and we’ve been married now for 38 years.
“We have four children. Brook, Brandon, Michael and Vali. We have three grandchildren.
“The sheriff’s office has really been a good job. The wives of police officers really deserve a lot of credit. They put up with a lot. You can’t talk about it and you can’t take the job home with you,” said Sgt. Wilberg.
It may be the end of a long and demanding career but Sgt. Wilberg will never totally leave serving others behind. He will continue to be involved in helping his fellow man and making the world a better place. There will be a luncheon in his honor on Jan. 31 at the sheriff’s office.