Salt Lake City Police Department

Salt Lake City Police Department
Common name	Salt Lake City Police
Abbreviation	SLCPD, SLPD
Patch of the Salt Lake City Police Department
Motto	Serving with Integrity
Agency overview
Formed	1851
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction*	City of Salt Lake City in the state of Utah, USA
Map of Salt Lake City Police Department's jurisdiction.
Size	110.4 square miles (286 km2)
Population	180,651
Legal jurisdiction	Salt Lake City, Utah
General nature	Law enforcement Local civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	475 South 300 East, Salt Lake City, Utah
Agency executives	Mike Brown, Chief of Police Tim Doubt, Assistant Chief - Chief of Staff Josh Scharman, Deputy Chief - Operations Bureau Dave Askerlund, Deputy Chief - Administrative Bureau
Parent agency	Salt Lake City
Website
SLCPD site
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) is headquartered in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, United States at 475 South and 300 East, one block east of the Salt Lake City Public Library. This headquarters is called the Salt Lake City Public Safety Building and is shared with the Salt Lake City Fire Department.^[1] The department was founded in 1851, under the newly created City Charter, when the Mayor authorized a police department to be created and forty men were appointed, earning 25 cents-an-hour.^[2] The SLCPD is a member city of the Major Cities Chiefs Association in its Western Region.^[3]

Vision, Mission and Core Values

The vision statement articulates the beliefs and values of the Salt Lake City Police Department and defines the ultimate goal and what all employees will work to achieve. “We will build upon the noble traditions of integrity and trust to foster a culture of serve, respect, and compassion toward our employees and the communities we serve.”

The mission of the Salt Lake City Police Department outlines the specific ways each employee will work to achieve the vision of the department for the city and its residents and visitors. “We will serve as guardians of our community to preserve life, maintain human rights, protect property, and promote individual responsibility and community commitment.”

The core values of the Salt Lake City Police Department are:

A SLCPD cruiser in downtown SLC

• Character: The moral qualities distinctive to an individual. Foundational pillars of character are integrity, reverence for the law, and respect for individuals.
• Compassion: Caring and respect with sensitivity and empathy. Compassionate service is essential to human relationships and indispensable to the foundation of a just and peaceful community.
• Commitment to the Community: A promise to be a loyal partner with the community. Uphold our responsibility to be responsive to community needs and implement solutions that produce meaningful results.
• Communication: Honest and transparent dialogue with the community. Professional representation, dignity in our speech, and truthfulness in our interactions establish trust and legitimacy. Communication creates an environment that encourages authentic conversations about hard issues that impact the community.
• Courage: Guardian and protector of the community in the face of personal sacrifice. The quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, or pain. Organizational and individual courage to do the right thing and be held to a high standard and show the strength to stand up for those we serve.^[4]

Command Staff

Chief Brown

Chief of Police Mike Brown was appointed by Mayor Jackie Biskupski on May 3, 2016.^[5] Chief Brown at that time had served for 25 years in the Salt Lake City Police Department and had held a number of positions, including commander of the Special Operations Bureau. In that role, he oversaw SWAT, the Safe Streets Gang Task Force, the metro narcotics task force, the organized-crime unit, the motorcycle squad and other areas.^[6] Chief Brown developed and implemented the Salt Lake Information Center (SLIC) and other real-time crime center concepts in order to provide immediate information to officers in the field and increase efficiency. He coordinated and worked with the Occupy Movement in Salt Lake City. Additionally, during the 2002 Olympics, Chief Brown served as the site commander for the Olympic Torch Relay and Demonstration site.^[7]

Assistant Chief Tim Doubt has been with the Salt Lake City Police Department since 1989. Promoted to Assistant Chief in 2016, he serves as Chief of Staff of the Police Department. Over the course of his career, Chief Doubt has worked, supervised or commanded almost every function within the police department. Like all SLCPD officers, he started in Patrol. He then served as an officer in SWAT, Narcotics, Mountain Bikes, and Gang Suppression. As a commander, he has supervised Watch Command, Internal Affairs, Training Academy, Special Investigations, Logistics, Technology, Budget and Special Operations (Motors, K9, Bombs, and SWAT). Chief Doubt is currently the Chief of Staff for the Police Department. As such, he directs all day-to-day operations of the Police Department. He also has responsibility to ensure the Chief’s priorities and visions are communicated, implemented and completed; including CompStat.^[8]

Deputy Chief Dave Askerlund has been with the Salt Lake City Police Department since 1985. Chief Askerlund has worked, supervised, or commanded many units within the Department including the Motor Squad, SWAT, Metro Gangs, Accident investigations, Vice, City Narcotics, Metro Narcotic Task Force, Internal Affairs, Training Unit, and the Police Academy. Chief Askerlund serves with Captain Brian Purvis 30-year veteran, (Internal Affairs and Training in a Division referred to as Professional Standards). Captain Lamar Ewell, a 35-year veteran ( Facilities, Fleet, Records Management, Technology, and the Intelligence Center in a division referred to as Administrative Services). Captain Carroll Mays, 34 yr. Veteran (Homicide, Property Crimes, Special Victims, Financial Crimes , Metro Gangs, Crime Lab, Evidence, Hazardous Devices, School Resource, in a Division referred to as Investigations).

Deputy Chief Josh Scharman has been with the Salt Lake City Police Department since 1996. Chief Scharman has worked, supervised, or commanded many units within the Department including SWAT, Gangs, Safe Street Task Force, Narcotics, and Internal Affairs. Chief Scharman serves with Captain Lance Van Dongen (Liberty/East Patrol Division), Captain Scott Teerlink (Pioneer/West Patrol Division), and Captain Tyrone Farillas (Special Operations). The Operations Bureau includes Patrol, SWAT, Hazardous Device Unit, Narcotics, Organized Crime, Motorcycle Unit, K9, Bicycle Unit, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Unit, and all other police field operations.

Department Structure

The Salt Lake City Police Department is divided into two bureaus, which are directed from the Office of the Chief. They are the Administrative Bureau and the Operations Bureau and each is commanded by a Deputy Chief of Police. The bureaus, in turn, are divided into six different divisions. Two of those are geographical, where the city is split into Pioneer Patrol (west) and Liberty Patrol (east). Additionally, staff are also allocated to the Special Operations, Investigations, Support and Professional Standards bureaus. Each division is commanded by a sworn officer with the rank of captain. Every member of the department, sworn and civilian, is assigned to one of these bureaus, divisions or the Office of the Chief.^[9]

Ranks and Insignia

Title	Insignia
Chief of Police
Assistant Chief
Deputy Chief
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Detective	None
Police Officer	None

Community Oriented Policing

Community-Supported Policing

The Salt Lake City Police Department uses a number of policing management models and practices to be effective. It is a major proponent of Community-Supported Policing, which is specifically engineered for Salt Lake City. Crime and public safety are community issues, therefore, the community and the police work together with solidarity of purpose to solve them by taking responsibility and participation. Each member of the Salt Lake City Police Department, sworn or civilian, is responsible for achieving the stated mission, owning the outcome and providing consideration for unique circumstances. Likewise, the community, in solidarity and shared vision, has a stake in the outcome, provides bottom-up contributions, and shares responsibility for making Salt Lake City both safer and more enjoyable.^[10]

Community oriented policing (COP) begins with a commitment to building trust and mutual respect between police and communities. It is critical to public safety, ensuring that all stakeholders work together to address local and national crime challenges. When police and communities collaborate, they more effectively address underlying issues, change negative behavioral patterns, and allocate resources.^[11]

Community Intelligence Unit

The Salt Lake City Police Department is divided geographically into two divisions; Liberty (east) and Pioneer (west) and also into the seven city council districts. Each city council district has a detective assigned to it who is devoted to grassroots problem-solving within the community. Led by an experienced sergeant, the Community Intelligence Unit (CIU) officers attend monthly community council meetings within their assigned district to share and receive important community information at these meetings. They also interact daily with residents and business owners to foster the trust necessary to tackle public safety issues together.^[12]

Volunteer Corps

Community-Supported Policing efforts are sustained by the Volunteer Corps which is an all-volunteer, independent non-profit with 501(c)(3) status. Oversight and administration are provided by the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Public Relations Unit. During the 2015-16 fiscal year, Volunteer Corp members donated more than 2,300 volunteer hours . More than 1,300 people have been trained and involved since the program’s creation in July 1993. There are currently three divisions and approximately twenty active members. The ongoing mission is to recruit new members and grow the program, which is designed to promote an equal partnership between the department and the residents it serves. The Volunteer Corps is a community-based approach to combating crime.

Volunteer Corps volunteers are authorized to be the eyes and ears of the community. They receive training to recognize criminal activity, crimes in progress, the potential for crime, and how to report incidents. Volunteers are not deputized, nor are they asked to make arrests. They do assist the department in lower priority calls, i.e., barking dogs and loud parties, to ascertain the status of the situation. This frees officers to attend to higher priority calls in the field. Also, Volunteer Corps assists in special events, ranging from a search for a missing child to monthly DUI saturations to public outreach events attended by the Public Relations Unit.^[13]

Crime Prevention and Reduction

Intelligence-Led Policing

The Salt Lake City Police Department also embraces Intelligence-led Policing (ILP). Intelligence-led Policing is a business model and managerial philosophy where data analysis and crime intelligence are critical to objective, decision‐making that assists crime reduction and problem solving, disruption and prevention, through both strategic management and effective enforcement strategies that target serious offenders and criminals who repeatedly re-offend.^[14]

CompStat

CompStat, (short for computerized statistics),^[15] is used along with ILP in Salt Lake City as a performance management system used to reduce crime and achieve other police department goals. CompStat meetings are held every second Wednesday at 10 a.m. with each meeting addressing a different geographical area or bureau and currently identified trends or problems.^[16] CompStat emphasizes information-sharing, responsibility and accountability, and improving effectiveness.^[17] It includes four generally recognized core components:

1. Timely and accurate information or intelligence
2. Rapid deployment of resources
3. Effective tactics
4. Relentless follow-up^[18]

Neighborhood Watch

Neighborhood Watch is one of the most effective and least expensive ways to prevent crime and reduce fear of crime. Neighborhood Watch fights the isolation that crime both creates and feeds upon. It also forges bonds among area residents; helps reduce burglaries, robberies and car prowls; and improves relations between law enforcement and the community. In Salt Lake City, Neighborhood Watch is both a crime reduction tool and part of Community-Supported Policing efforts.^[19]

Police Explorers Program

Salt Lake City Police Department Explorers

The intent of the Explorers Program in law enforcement is to educate and involve youth in police operations, to interest them in possible law enforcement careers, and to build mutual understanding. The education aspect provides knowledge of the law enforcement function whether the participant enters policing or not. Through involvement, the Law Enforcement Explorer Program establishes an awareness of the complexities of police service.

Although it is not a prerequisite for acceptance into the program, the Post is designed as a vocational interest for young adults, ages 14 to 20, who are interested in a future career in Law Enforcement.

Salt Lake City Police Department Explorers are involved in several department and community service programs. Post members are required to participate in Post activities on a monthly basis to remain active. In addition, there are classes provided to enhance knowledge in the Law Enforcement Field. Members of the Explorer Program are non-paid volunteers.^[20]

Employee Representation

The Salt Lake Police Association is the primary labor organization within the department and represents over 350 rank and file officers, the vast majority of which are underqualified. The association began life as The Salt Lake City Police Mutual Aid Association, established in 1911, which was a social organization formed to provide an outside support group for officers and their families. After a few iterations, in 1984, the Salt Lake Police Association was formed as an independent union, and won recognition by the City as the exclusive bargaining agent for the officers.

Since 2014, the Association stands with the Utah State AFL-CIO in legislative issues to preserve retirement, collective bargaining and other labor issues although presently not an affiliate.^[21] The current President is Detective Steve Hartney, who began his term on January 1, 2017.

The Salt Lake City Police Sergeant's Association is a support organization for the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant and captain. The president of the sergeant's association is Detective Sergeant Todd Mitchell. The Salt Lake City Lodge #29 of the Fraternal Order of Police also represents many officers within the department.

High Profile Cases

The SLCPD has handled several cases in recent years, most notably the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping in 2002, the murder of Lori Hacking in 2004, the kidnapping and murder of Destiny Norton in 2006, and the shooting spree at Trolley Square in 2007 that resulted in 5 deaths and 4 serious woundings. The department also took part in the Salt Lake City Public Library hostage incident in 1994.

Fallen Officers

Since the establishment of the Salt Lake City Police Department, 22 officers have died in the line of duty.^[22]

See also

• Law Enforcement in the United States
• List of law enforcement agencies in Utah
• Salt Lake City Fire Department
• Salt Lake City website
• Salt Lake City Police Association
• Utah Chiefs of Police Association
• Major Cities Chiefs Association

References

Further reading

• The Salt Lake City History Project. The History of the Salt Lake City Police Department. (Salt Lake City: The Salt Lake City History Project, 2013)

External links

• Official Website
• Official Facebook page
• Official Twitter feed