Full Text
MILLCREEK POLICING FAQs Created 8/16/2020 Are our non-violent crimes going unsolved? • Many non-violent cases are solved. These cases take time and effort for detectives to investigate, but reports of crimes and suspicious circumstances frequently reveal patterns which lead to suspects and arrests. What is a crime? • Refer to Utah Code Title 76 Why don't we divert money from the police to focus on evictions homelessness and poverty? • Homelessness and poverty are community issues which go well beyond law enforcement. Many responsibilities relating to these issues are delegated by state statute to counties, not cities. How may we find out more about the Unified Police Department, its budget, and FAQs? • Visit UPD at • Visit UPD Millcreek Precinct at • Ask for information from the city. What is available for our community to ask for changes in the budget? • Millcreek residents can request whatever changes to the budget they believe are appropriate. Assuming the Mayor and Council agree and believe such are supported by community consensus, precinct level changes can be negotiated into Millcreek’s contract. UPD-wide changes would have to be approved by the appropriate majority of the UPD Board, on which Millcreek has a weighted vote on budgetary matters. • Millcreek property taxes pay for our police services. Statistics are shared with community councils and the City Council. The Millcreek City Council saw the need for additional police officers and funded a sergeant and additional four detectives for a crime suppression unit in 2018 using funds misallocated due to a budgeting error. • Although news you may hear about Millcreek and crime comes often, this is due to the efforts of our additional officers trying to clean our city of serious crimes. When hiring police officers how does our precinct track resign hopping, what are the current standards? There is some verbiage from police chief Brown on this. • All candidates who are interested in law enforcement must pass a written and physical test after P.O.S.T. (Peace Officer Standards and Training), which includes intense physical and academic training of up to 15 consecutive weeks. More information about various P.O.S.T training options, and the process can be found at • UPD carefully reviews test scores, background checks and interviews prospective officers and attempts to weed out problems. A better national database containing disciplinary history would assist in this process. • All officers are required to complete 40 hours of in-service training each year, which includes relevant on-the-job training. Do unions help plea bargain for police? • Millcreek UPD is not part of a union with collective bargaining rights. However, there is an association to which many of our officers belong, the Salt Lake Valley Law Enforcement Association. It is invited to participate in meetings of the UPD Benefits and Compensation Committee of the UPD Board. The Fraternal Order of Police is a separate organization which represents officers in Salt Lake City PD. ---PAGE BREAK--- MILLCREEK POLICING FAQs Created 8/16/2020 What situations warrant police officers? • Any situation that is suspect, or potential harmful to anyone’s safety. Millcreek residents are encouraged to report suspicious activity, and there is a non-emergency dispatch number [PHONE REDACTED]. Any situation that is suspect, or potential harmful to any individual, warrants a potential call to police. • In order for a responding police officer to identify the suspect or situation, a description of the individual(s) is collected by dispatch and shared with police officers. How do they define resisting arrest currently? • Each state has its own legal definition of resisting arrest, starting with the name of the charge. In Utah, resisting arrest is called “interference with a peace officer.” Interfering with a peace officer, or resisting arrest, is prohibited under Utah Code § 76-8-305, which is part of the state's broader criminal code. What is the fraternal order of police? • More information about F.O.P. Can be found at This organization mainly represents officers in not UPD. Most UPD officers belong to the Salt Lake Valley Law Enforcement Association, an organization which does not have collective bargaining power.