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SALT LAKE CITY — Leaders of Utah's capital city say they're willing to work with the state on solutions to crime and homelessness after Utah leaders called on the city to address policing and criminal justice "inadequacies."
However, they're also concerned that new state policies could be passed next year without additional resources they believe are needed to address the situation.
It all started earlier this month when Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, and Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, sent a letter to Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall expressing their concerns and calling on her to present a public safety plan to the state by Jan. 17, 2025, days before the next legislative session.
Cox, Adams and Schultz wrote about "escalating public safety challenges" in Salt Lake City from residents and business leaders daily. The letter specifically references frustrations brought to them by Clark Ivory, CEO of Ivory Homes and chairman of the Utah Impact Partnership. He relayed to them that he was concerned that Mendenhall had explained that the existing system essentially allows criminals to "walk free" within an hour of an arrest.
"Local law enforcement is the front end of the system to appropriately address the disorder that we are experiencing in our capital city. The ineffectiveness of (the Salt Lake City Police Department) has become glaringly apparent," they wrote in the letter, obtained by KSL.com.
They included a recommended "journey map" outlining the information they'd like to receive in that presentation, including the city's law enforcement and criminal justice processes. The document, they said, should also highlight "obstacles, delays and inefficiencies" tied to homeless, substance use and disorderly conduct, among other items.
State, county and city officials have largely shared policies on how homelessness is handled since Operation Rio Grande began in 2017, but state leaders say the city should "do its part to restore public confidence, security and safety."
Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown took exception to the letter, saying in a statement that the department has significantly increased patrols through "alternative response models," including "proactive" outreach in communities, directed patrols and stronger enforcement in certain areas.
"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. We are determined to break those cycles," he said.
Salt Lake police report that, through Nov. 30, there have been over 12,000 total crimes across Utah's most populated city this year, which puts 2024 on pace to end up 16% below the city's three-year average. Violent offenses are also on pace for a 5% decrease from the three-year average, but rape and robbery are up from the past year — up by as much as 17% when it comes to business robbery cases.
Certain areas are also faring better than others. For example, most violent and overall crime has dropped around downtown, but it has risen within the East Bench and on the west side. Police have, in particular, conducted more enforcement operations along the Jordan River Parkway Trail this year.
Brown added that the city remains committed to future collaborations that correct challenges and create a new "standard of accountability, coordination and shared responsibility while continuing to enforce the law."
City leaders anticipate that upcoming conversations will center on homelessness, too. In a statement to KSL.com, Mendenhall said she's "frustrated as anybody" that shared efforts to address homelessness haven't yielded long-term results to this point, adding that she's willing to work with state leaders on policies that may solve the problem.
"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," she added. "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."
Other city leaders are preparing for legislation that could dictate local governance. While she didn't mention the state letter, Salt Lake City Councilwoman Victoria Petro — whose term as council chair is expiring at the end of the year — told KSL.com last week that she believes that new city policies in 2025 will include items "largely given to us" by the Utah Legislature, such as homelessness.
It comes after a pair of state bills passed this year, which created deadlines and other rules for how Salt Lake City agreed to deals with Smith Entertainment Group and the Larry H. Miller Company over major land changes in the city. The state required that public safety and homelessness mitigation plans be included in a downtown revitalization district agreement.
Petro believes that the next legislative session will include new legislation on homelessness issues and homeless resources, including policies that could impact how the city handles the issue. She added that she's concerned it could create a "crisis" if there's no ongoing funding attached to those policies.
"I suspect (2025) is the year that ... we find a path forward to really deal with homelessness," she said. "I'm hoping that it is policy that's actually responsive; I fear that we're going to get an unfunded mandate."
The next legislative session begins on Jan. 21, 2025.
