Bill to dismantle Unified Police Department gets pushback from both sides

SALT LAKE CITY — HB374, a proposed bill that would do away with the Unified Police Department, is getting pushback from both sides.

In a room at the state Capitol Wednesday morning, several officials with the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Department and UPD were in attendance. 

When it came to speaking on the bill, 14 people attending in person raised their hands — 13 were in opposition, one was in favor.

A big talker right now at the Capitol:

Proposed bill that would do away with Unified Police.

It’s getting pushback from both sides.

14 ppl attending in person raised their hands to speak on the bill.

13 opposed to saying goodbye to Unified PD. 1 in favor. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/LFS4io8Qk6

— Karah Brackin (@KB_ON_TV) February 15, 2023

“Don’t necessarily agree there is a problem or conflict, but this is what I was dealt with.”

I picked the lesser of two evils, said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera.

For Rivera, the lesser of two evils means standing against HB374.

Since 2017, Rivera said the tug-of-war whether to create new police departments among communities or go with the Salt Lake County Sheriff has resurfaced year after year and is taking a huge mental toll on officers.

She and others who spoke against the bill, including local mayors, also raised the question that if it is already difficult to retain officers, how much more difficult will it be to hire?

“We do know that law enforcement as a whole is struggling with hiring,” Rivera said. “Number one: Jobs need to be stable, and we need to preserve the jobs for not just the officers. We have 150 civilians who could also be impacted by these decisions. And I just think their mental health, with always not knowing the unknown and uncertainty of what’s going on, creates problems for them and their families.”

The Unified Police Department was created back in 2009 with the idea that police forces coming together and consolidating resources could be more cost-effective in some ways and stronger in others.

If the law is passed, it would go into effect in 2025 to allow for transitioning everything into the Sheriff’s Office. 

Rivera said that is not enough time. Plus, she said it would be costly on communities.

On the flip side, those speaking in favor of the bill say taxation is a big issue. By supporting this bill, those in favor say tax dollars would be spent with more transparency. 

Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith said it brings local input back to where it belonged in the first place.

“This is a local issue. The reason we like this bill is because it throws it back down to the local body to make this decision, to decide what’s best for Salt Lake County, which I believe should happen in any county. And it preserves the role of the sheriff and those duties of the Sheriff’s statewide,” Smith said.

The committee voted 9-4 to move the bill to the House floor.