The Salt Lake City & County Building in Salt Lake City is pictured on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)
Utah’s top Republican leaders are giving Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall a firm deadline to put together a plan to “restore public confidence, security and safety” in the state’s capital — or the Legislature will take the reins.
That’s according to a letter Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, and House Speaker Mike Schultz sent the mayor on Dec. 13, giving her a little over a month, until Jan. 17, to present a plan ahead of the 2025 legislative session scheduled to begin Jan. 21.
“As Utah’s leaders, we hear daily from business leaders, philanthropists, and citizens who are deeply concerned about the escalating public safety challenges in Salt Lake City,” the letter, which Utah News Dispatch obtained Friday, begins. “These stakeholders have urged the state to step in and address the law enforcement and criminal justice inadequacies impacting our capital city.”
The letter goes on to criticize the Salt Lake City Police Department for not enforcing the law in Salt Lake City to their liking.
“Local law enforcement is the front end of the system to appropriately address the disorder that we are experiencing in our capital city,” the letter states. “The ineffectiveness of SLCPD has become glaringly apparent.”
Mendenhall issued a prepared statement in response to the letter saying she was “as frustrated as anybody, including our first responders, that the lasting progress on homelessness that we’ve all worked for has not yet materialized, but long-term progress takes long-term commitment and partnerships.”
“There has never been a quick or easy solution to these challenges, and I’ve said many times I will never walk away from the table in order to do what I must to get the best outcome for Salt Lake City,” the mayor said. “The invitation to stay at the table with the state as we tackle one of the greatest challenges cities across this country are facing is an invitation I wholeheartedly welcome.”
Police Chief Mike Brown also issued a prepared statement, saying his department has “significantly increased our efforts through alternative response models, targeted enforcement, directed patrols, and proactive community outreach throughout Salt Lake City.”
“We recognize the important role we play in improving the quality of life for business owners, residents, tourists, and the homeless population in our city — and we recognize more must be done,” he said.
However, the chief said the issue also goes beyond his department.
“Gaps in the criminal justice system often hinder progress, leaving officers and social workers to navigate cycles of disorder that erode trust and create perceptions of lawlessness,” he said. “We are determined to break those cycles.”
Brown added the Salt Lake City Police Department “remains committed to collaborating with state and local partners to address systemic challenges and create a standard of accountability, coordination, and shared responsibility while continuing to enforce the law.”
“By doing so, we can deliver meaningful change — providing justice to offenders and compassionate support to those in need,” he said.
According to the Salt Lake City Police Department’s crime statistics dashboard, the number of violent crimes is slightly up, 3.2%, from last year, but down 5.1% from a three-year average. The number of recorded property crimes are down about 7.6% from 2023 and down roughly 17.4% from the three-year average.
Why are state leaders threatening to intervene?
The pressure on Salt Lake City from Utah’s most powerful state leaders comes as prominent state and community leaders involved in efforts to transform Utah’s homeless system have criticized Salt Lake City for not doing more to enforce anti-camping ordinances and crack down on drug use and distribution.
Among them is Randy Shumway, chairman of the Utah Homeless Services Board and vice chair of the Utah Impact Partnership, a group of influential philanthropists who donate funds toward homeless services and have helped lobby the Utah Legislature for more money.
Shumway in recent months has called on Mendenhall and Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown to do more than they’re already doing, arguing that the fentanyl crisis is particularly sharp in Utah’s capital city.
Earlier this summer, when on-street camping reached seasonal highs, Mendenhall said it’s “incredibly difficult to continue to wait for more shelter” as state officials continue their secret search for a 30-acre property meant to house a “transformative campus” meant to increase Utah’s emergency shelter bed capacity by up to 1,200 beds. That search is ongoing, and state officials have a deadline of Oct. 1, 2025 for the 1,200-bed shelter to be built.
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“I know how hard it is, and I know how hard you are working on this,” Mendenhall told the state’s homeless leaders at the time. “But I really am done taking blame for the entire homeless system.”
In the letter, Cox, Schultz and Adams pointed to insights shared from Clark Ivory — chairman of the Utah Impact Partnership and CEO of Ivory Homes, Utah’s largest homebuilder — from an event where Mendenhall “discussed the root causes of these challenges.”
“He relayed your assertion that the issue lies not solely with law enforcement but from deeper failures in the criminal justice system,” the letter to the mayor states. “According to Mr. Ivory, you emphasized the efforts of the Salt Lake City Police Department to apprehend individuals violating the law but expressed frustration over a system that often allows even felons to ‘walk free within 45 minutes.’”
For years, Salt Lake County leaders have struggled to address a worsening jail crisis. Despite
Utah’s growing population, leaders of the state’s most populated county haven’t increased its jail capacity in more than 20 years. This year, an effort to address that crisis came in the form of a $507 million bond placed on the Nov. 5 Salt Lake County ballot — but voters rejected it. Salt Lake County leaders are now regrouping, looking to proceed with their plans but fund them in a different way.
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Cox, Schultz and Adams’ letter to the mayor also says Ivory “respectfully advocated on your behalf, conveying your readiness to collaborate with law enforcement leadership to create a strategic plan rather than default to legislative intervention.”
The trio then asked Mendenhall to do just that.
“In the spirit of collaboration, we invite you to present this plan to us no later than January 17, 2025,” the letter states, printing the deadline in bold.
They wrote this “strategic plan should include clear accountability, enforce state law and local ordinances, and achieve decisive outcomes to eliminate crime and restore public safety.”
“If your plan demonstrates the decisive leadership and results needed to resolve these issues, we will work to strengthen and sustain your efforts through legislative action,” they wrote.
But they also issued a warning.
“However, if progress stalls or alignment cannot be achieved, the legislature is prepared to move forward with legislation to increase state involvement and oversight during the upcoming session,” the governor, Senate president and House speaker wrote.
They didn’t offer any specifics on what possible legislation to “increase state involvement and oversight” may entail. However, alongside their letter they did include an outline of a “proposed framework” that “identifies breakdowns in the system and implements necessary reforms.”
Cox, Adams and Schultz told Mendenhall they “respect your authority to lead this effort and design an effective strategy for improving public safety in Salt Lake City.” They said they enclosed the proposed framework, drafted with “input from business leaders,” to “support” her.
“The safety and well-being of all Utahns depend on bold leadership and swift action,” the state leaders wrote. “We are committed to solving these challenges and expect your office to do its part to restore public confidence, security, and safety in our state’s capital city.”
Below is the proposed “framework” that was enclosed with the letter:
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.