Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Law enforcement officers attended training in Farmington on technology that can help locate missing persons faster.
- Candice Cooley, mother of murder victim Dylan Rounds, sponsors training and advocates for Utah's HB366 law.
- Dylan's Legacy nonprofit funds training; Badge Apps aids in organizing cellphone location data.
FARMINGTON — A group of about a couple of dozen law enforcement officers from various agencies gathered this week for specialized training that could help them find missing persons faster.
Candice Cooley, the mother of Dylan Rounds, 19, who was murdered in Box Elder County, was there to help sponsor some of the officers in the training and learn, too.
"We're trying to not let any other families become in this position, and this is going to help," Cooley said.
Rounds disappeared in 2022. His body was found in the west desert of Box Elder County about two years later, near where he lived. His neighbor, James Brenner, 61, pleaded guilty to his murder and helped investigators locate his body as part of a plea deal. With the right training, Cooley believes deputies could have found her son's body sooner.
"We hear a lot of 'that can't be done. I've never heard of that,'" Cooley said. "I hear that all the time. Now I've got the proper terminology. I know what tools to guide them towards that. Yes, this can be done."
Aaron Benzick, a police detective in Plano, Texas, and the founder of Badge Apps, led the training Wednesday, showing how his programs can help quickly compile and organize location data pulled from cellphones. In addition, Cooley says HB366, which was recently signed into law will prioritize that data in warrants where people are missing and in danger.
"And so now we've got the law passed — the law is great, but if our officers and agents don't know how to do it, what good is the law?" Cooley said.
That's in part why Cooley founded Dylan's Legacy, a nonprofit that raises funds to pay for the training for law enforcement officers. Cooley took part in the training, too, this week so that she can help guide agencies who may not have the knowledge.
"As a society, we are responsible for public safety also, and this is a role in it," Cooley said. "We couldn't have stopped what happened to Dylan, but we can for others. And that's what Dylan's legacy is about."
Photos
Show All 5 Photos
