Born in England, John Minor grew up in a working class neighborhood across the bay from Liverpool. In 1980, the Minor family packed their belongings and moved to Colorado, where options seemed better.

After finishing technical college, John managed auto body shops in the Lakewood area. Remembering his grandfather, Tommy Minor, who was a British bobby (cop) with a distinguished 31-year service record, and wanting to follow his footsteps, John enrolled in criminal justice classes. In order to apply for any job in law enforcement, John needed to be an American citizen. He pursued all the legal steps necessary to achieve this end and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1989. As John states, he is an American and a patriot by choice, not by birth.

Sheriff Minor began his law enforcement career as a Corrections Deputy with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office in 1990, and later worked in the Patrol Division.  In 1993, he joined the Silverthorne Police department. 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 and willingly accepted the responsibility in 1999.

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. His grandfather would have been proud of him!

In 2003, Governor Bill Owens appointed Sheriff Minor to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board.  John has continued to be 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 has been actively involved in mental health issues, working in partnership with other organizations to move the detox facility and provide a crisis stabilization unit.  The Sheriff's Office has also been working with their inmate population, providing group counseling sessions to inmates, and he and his staff are currently partnering with the Colorado Workforce Center on job placement services for inmates upon release.  Explains Sheriff Minor, "It is our hope that by providing these services, these inmates will be less likely to re-offend."

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-three 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 married for 19 years, and is the father of two daughters.