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Sandy • Bradley Durr began to cry as he apologized for buying and consuming steroids.

"I'm ashamed of myself and for my actions," Durr said. "I've learned a valuable lesson through all this."

Durr said he hoped to continue to "live his dream" of being a police office with the Unified Police Department, where he worked until earlier this year when he failed a drug test and admitted to taking steroids throughout 2015.

On Monday, he asked the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council to not suspend him for the 3 1/2 years, as POST staff had recommended.

But the council — composed of police chiefs, sheriffs and other representatives of Utah law enforcement — elected to impose the 3 1/2-year suspension on Durr, and discipline 12 other current or former peace officers.

Two people lost their police certifications altogether. One was Brian Fisher. He was never employed as a police officer, but held a police certification. He was working as a private security guard at a store when he was accused of using his phone to take photos up a woman's skirt, according to a report made Sunday to the council.

The council also revoked the certification of Brandon Sargent, who worked for the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office. He was accused of towing a boat that struck utility lines. He tested as having a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit but denied he was driving, according to a report to the council Monday. Witnesses said he was driving, and the council voted to revoke his police certification for what it called driving under the influence and lying.

The council took time to consider the case of Weber County Sheriff's deputy Todd G. Christensen, who was accused of child abuse for striking his 7-year-old son in the forehead with a raised knuckle, after the boy had pulled on a recently-installed shower head. Child Protective Services investigated and Christensen eventually pleaded guilty to an infraction for disorderly conduct.

The council's staff recommended a two-year suspension, but Christensen asked the council to impose no suspension so he could keep his job as a court bailiff. Second District Court Judge Michael Direda, whose courtroom Christensen works, wrote a letter of support.

"This case has been an absolute nightmare for me and my family," Christensen said. "I really messed this one up."

A motion to only issue Christensen a letter of caution failed. So did a motion to issue a six-month suspension.

But the council passed a motion to issue Christensen a nine-month suspension.

Other peace officers disciplined Monday:

— Carson Aprato, who was not employed with a police force at the time, was issued a 1-year suspension for driving under the influence.

— Jared Barker, of Springdale, received an 18-month suspension for having sex while on duty.

— Tein Hawke, of the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office, received a two-year suspension for marijuana use.

— Matthew Martinez, of the Beaver County Sheriff's Office, received a one-year suspension for soliciting sex.

— Matthew O'Brien, of Brigham City, received a three-year suspension for obstructing an investigation into a traffic crash in which his wife was a driver.

— Garland Pierce, of the Utah Highway Patrol, received a four-year suspension for having sex while on duty.

— Bret Sechler, of the Utah Department of Corrections, received a 2 1/2-year suspension for being intoxicated with a gun and interfering with police.

— Ronald Skeem, of the Iron County Sheriff's Office, received a three-month suspension for disorderly conduct.

— Craig Warr, of the Utah Department of Corrections, received a two-year suspension for impaired driving.

The council also issued three letters of caution for intoxication, shooting from a roadway and for a sheriff's deputy who looked up his own wife's drivers license number so he could complete the order form to buy her a fishing license.

The council opted not to take action against an officer accused of fishing in Idaho with impermissible bait — pickled herring.

After the meeting, the council observed a moment of silence for UHP Trooper Eric Ellsworth, who died last month, four days after being hit by a car.

The council then had a discussion on public support for the police. Maj. Scott Stephenson, who commands Utah's police academy and the staff that investigates misconduct, noted there are about 8,700 peace officers in the state, and only 1 percent are ever investigated.

"That's phenomenal," Stephenson said. "I'd put that up against any state."

Twitter: @natecarlisle