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South Salt Lake mayor orders independent audit after FOP survey raises leadership concerns
Summary
After an anonymous Fraternal Order of Police survey of department personnel, Mayor Sherry Wood said the city will hire an outside attorney or agency to conduct an independent audit; a resident had called for a thorough investigation and expressed no confidence in city leadership.
A South Salt Lake resident urged the city June 11 to investigate police leadership and keep officers after an anonymous Fraternal Order of Police survey raised concerns about morale and leadership.
Mayor Sherry Wood responded at the same meeting that the city will hire an outside attorney or agency to conduct an independent audit of the issues the FOP raised, and urged measured action rather than decisions based solely on an anonymous survey.
The resident, who identified himself as William of District 5, told the council he “will back my officers up a 100%” but said he had “no confidence in South Salt Lake Police Department leadership or in city leadership overall.” He warned of a possible “mass exodus” of officers and asked for a “thorough investigation.” William praised front-line officers he has met and singled out “Officer Atkin” for repeated, respectful responses to calls at his apartment.
Wood said the Fraternal Order of Police survey was conducted anonymously among department employees and that the city takes the results seriously. “We are hiring an outside attorney an outside agency to conduct an independent audit that takes an objective look at the issues raised by the FOP,” Wood said. She noted the department has seen major changes in leadership and focus in the last 18 months and said Chief Coyle “inherited issues in the department that needed to be addressed.”
Wood also said it would be “irresponsible and simply bad policy to take any action based off of an anonymous survey,” and asked officers to participate in “fair and open communication” with city leadership. She cited a recent community survey showing that nearly 90% of residents said they feel safe in their neighborhoods.
Council members who spoke during the meeting backed a measured approach. Several council members said they supported the administration’s step to bring in an independent reviewer and emphasized the sensitivity of personnel matters that may require human-resources expertise.
No formal personnel action or vote occurred at the June 11 meeting. The mayor’s announcement that the city will hire an external reviewer was presented as an administrative next step; the council did not vote to direct that review during the public meeting.
The city did not provide a timeline for the audit or public reporting of its findings during the meeting.
