This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The two top cops in the valley aren't talking, and that's a problem.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown rolled out statistics this week blaming Salt Lake Sheriff Jim Winder's 2015 change in jail policy for rising crime in the city. Drug cases were up 34 percent last year, and drug and alcohol deaths were up 52 percent. Brown says his officers can't break patterns of bad behavior when shoplifters, drug offenders and others are merely cited. The sheriff says more than jail policy is at work in those statistics. He also points out that his policy change was in response to jail overcrowding, and many of those offenders weren't getting booked anyway.
The chief's press conference wasn't a direct response to the sheriff's 21-point plan for combatting the issues surrounding the Rio Grande homeless shelter in downtown Salt Lake City, but it was certainly an indirect one. Many of the sheriff's points centered on stepped-up enforcement by city police.
Both are capable law enforcement administrators, and both have a good handle on the issues. But it's clear they're talking past each other. If that's their standard operating procedure, it's going to hurt efforts far beyond the Rio Grande mess.
They need face-to-face meetings. Their offices are 3.2 miles apart.
There are no two law-enforcement officials in the valley who have to work more closely. Salt Lake City is the largest city in the county, and the one sending the most people to Salt Lake County's jail. And Salt Lake City taxpayers pay both of their salaries. They should expect some cooperation for their dollars.
They could use more help from their respective mayors. Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski and County Mayor Ben McAdams — who also have a delicate relationship — need to show more leadership. Honestly, it seems like the four of them should meet regularly. They would always have enough to talk about.
Others are watching. Cooperation between Utah's largest city and county is a practical necessity when dealing with the Utah Legislature. Salt Lake County is nearly half the state's population, but county and city leaders often get treated like leftist insurgents on the Hill. Divided, they are even weaker.
Brown and Winder don't have to agree. They don't even have to like each other. But they have to talk. Communication solves problems, and lack of communication creates them.
Time to use your de-escalation training, gentlemen.