North Ogden police chief apologizes for participating in DUI training; council accepts apology

Chief Brian Inan addressed the council on March 25 to apologize for participating as a volunteer who consumed alcohol during a North Ogden Police Department DUI training exercise described in the meeting as a "wet lab." Inan told the council his participation was a mistake that compromised the training and attracted negative public scrutiny.

Inan said he “made a critical error in judgment by volunteering to be a participant in consuming alcohol that night. For that, I am very deeply sorry.” He added that by participating he "jeopardized an invaluable training by not having the proper oversight of that training, causing procedural missteps during the training itself." He apologized to the city, the department, individual members, and his family.

Inan told the council he intends to use the incident and lessons learned to strengthen department professionalism and to move the department “toward a better, more unified, and professional police department.” After his remarks he asked to be excused and the council granted the request.

Why it matters: A police chief’s public apology for conduct related to departmental training touches on public trust and departmental oversight. Inan acknowledged the error in judgment and framed it as a learning moment for future training and departmental conduct.

Context and next steps

- The apology was made before public comments and before several agenda items; no formal disciplinary action was reported during the meeting. - Chief Inan said the department will use lessons from the incident in service of mission and strategic plans aimed at improving professionalism and safety.

The council acknowledged the apology and excused the chief.