After finishing technical college, he managed auto body shops in the Lakewood area. Remembering his grandfather, and wanting to follow his footsteps, John enrolled in criminal justice classes. His grandfather, Thomas (Tommy) Minor was an English bobby with a distinguished 31 year service record to his credit. In order to apply for any job in law enforcement, John needed to be an American citizen. So, with methodical steps toward his goal he applied for citizenship, studied the requirements, passed the exam, and was sworn in as a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1989. He was now ready to begin his career in Law Enforcement.

Sheriff Minor began that career as a corrections deputy with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office in 1990. He also worked in the patrol division before leaving the Sheriff’s office in 1993. That same year, 1993, he joined the Silverthorne Police department. While there, along with his duties on patrol, John was in charge of the Field Training Program as well as serving as the juvenile officer. He was promoted to sergeant in 1997, and was asked to serve as the Interim Chief of Police for the Town of Silverthorne; in 1999, he willingly accepted the responsibility.

In 2003, John obtained the rank of senior sergeant, the only Silverthorne Officer to ever earn that distinction. In the same year he received the Meritorious Service Medal (life saving), and the Police Service Award, two of the highest honors bestowed upon Silverthorne Police Officers.

In 2004 he was sworn in as Sheriff of Summit County. His grandfather would have been proud.

Appointed by Governor Owens in 2003 as a member of the Peace officer Standards and training Board, John has been actively involved with the greater law enforcement community of the State of Colorado, and believes in the philosophy that we need to “police others the same way we would want to be policed”.

Sheriff Minor prides himself on “community involvement and sensitivity to cultural diversity”. To further this end, he has formed a Citizens Advisory Committee, composed of twenty-one community members that include, among others, business leaders, homemakers, and high school students. The responsibility of the Advisory Committee is to gather and report direct feedback from the people in the County on the performance of the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Minor has stated, “at the end of the day, it’s the citizens’ Sheriffs Office----not mine. We are there to serve them to the best of our abilities, with the overall goal of improving and protecting the quality of life for all our citizens and guests”.

Sheriff Minor has been happily married for twelve years, and is the father of two daughters. The Minor family is actively involved in their daughter’s school, and with the Girl Scouts of America.