This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I just attended the annual Salt Lake Police Departments Christmas party for retirees. The talk among my colleagues evolved into the proposed increase in fees for police services provided by Unified Police in the county. I recall when Jim Bradley sought to convert the county sheriff's agency into a metro police agency. That was later converted to Unified, which was supposed to offer reduced pricing. As it turned out, it was more costly and it continues to demand more monies imposed on the residences served in the county.
It is a well-known fact among those in police services that the best police service was the old walking beat, wherein the police officer walked his beat on a regular basis. He knew who belonged and the residence knew who he was and the relationship was meaningful. Mobilization brought about new conditions and the format changed.
Still in 1979 there was a new program in San Diego California where police integrated into the community on a one-to-one basis. It was called "community oriented policing." That was meant to bring officers into a personal interaction with the citizens they served. Officers were assigned to one beat on a regular basis so as to understand and serve the citizens there.
Salt Lake City maintains autonomy with its jurisdiction and serves well. Cottonwood Heights chooses to serve its jurisdiction independently, with some degree of success. Other cities are considering their own police services because of increased cost from Unified. I would hope that there would be some vigorous attendance at the Dec. 15 meeting to question the need for increased property taxes.
Harry W. Patrick
Salt Lake City