SALT LAKE CITY — Audits on the Salt Lake City Police Department, Salt Lake County Jail and the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office were released Tuesday on Utah's Capitol Hill.
The Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, and SLCPD Chief Brian Redd, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson and Sheriff Rosie Rivera showed up to listen intently to what the auditors had to say, and in some cases, taking their lumps from lawmakers.
But it was Salt Lake County DA Sim Gill who incurred the wrath of lawmakers for not only what was in the audit but for failing to even show up at the hearing.
After 10 months and roughly 3,000 hours of auditing, Utah lawmakers, in particular Rep. Casey Snider, wanted to know why Gill wasn’t there.
“There is no more damning accusation against the DA than the one he has made of himself by not even showing up today," Snider said.
This comes after auditors say they found inadequate policies and guidelines, which led to what they call a lack of consistency and confusion regarding screenings and filings, among other issues.
Snider was outraged by Gill’s absence.
“Let me tell you what the first chapter of this audit says. It says, the absence, and I am abbreviating, of the district attorney, reflects a leadership shortfall," he said.
Snider and other lawmakers were especially upset because other subjects of the audits were on hand to listen to the findings and talk about working together to implement them.
Sheriff Rivera said her office is already working on jail overcrowding issues — in particular, prisoners who are released due to that overcrowding.
“But the audit accurately identifies our core challenge: the jail does not have enough space to manage the volume and complexity of individuals entering the system," Rivera said.
Meanwhile, Mayor Mendenhall and Chief Redd listened as auditors talked about issues under the previous chief, Mike Brown.
Audit supervisor Ryan Thelin addressed some of them.
“The first is the misuse of administrative leave, and we’ll talk about that," Thelin said. "The second is that poor leadership enabled civilian advisors to direct core police functions, and the third is that internal oversight and planning were not prioritized under the previous administration.”
Mendenhall and Redd say they are already implementing ways to improve upon that — which made Snider even more incensed that the district attorney only sent representatives to the hearing.
“It’s an embarrassment to the office, it’s an indictment of the office, we deserve better, you deserve better," Snider said. "It is not fair for you as staff to sit here and take the arrows that he is too cowardly to take for himself. We have to do better than this.”
Gill and former SLCPD Chief Mike Brown responded to the audits with written statements to FOX 13 News.
Gill:
"The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office appreciates the opportunity to have worked with the Office of the Legislative Auditor through such an important exercise. The D.A.’s Office remains committed to providing transparency in our processes, and continually improving our operations to maximize fairness and efficiency as we work day in and day out to achieve justice for crime victims and to keep our communities safe. We will continue to uphold our duty to seek justice in each and every one of our cases, and to do so with the recommendations of the report in mind."
Brown:
“No credible audit fails to consult with the leader whose administration shaped the very policies being scrutinized. The auditors never contacted me directly, nor was I asked to respond to any allegations. That deliberate omission is more revealing than any conclusion they have tried to represent as objective.
"This audit was part of a political attack aimed at the Salt Lake City Police Department under my leadership and, inevitably, Salt Lake City itself. It functioned as a vehicle to present a manufactured partisan indictment, not a fair and independent inquiry. Bias at its foundation means it has no credibility in its conclusion.
"My leadership at SLCPD delivered locally and nationally recognized innovative policing strategies, stronger community engagement, and safer streets. Those results are still being felt across the city today and carrying it forward. A politically motivated report cannot undo or diminish those years of hard work.”
