This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In a sign that drugs and alcohol continue to be a problem for Utah cops, the state's police regulators last week suspended three officers for driving under the influence.
Salt Lake City Police Officer David G. Layton received a two-year suspension for DUI. Kodie Gill and David Andersen, officers for the Sandy Police Department and the Utah Department of Corrections, respectively, both received one-year suspensions for DUI.
The discipline was issued by the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council at their quarterly meeting last week in St. George. The council has been trying to address substance abuse by Utah police officers.
The state police academy recently began teaching a healthy living course that teaches cadets constructive ways to reduce stress. For cops already on the job, the council has helped institute peer counseling.
In all, the council disciplined 11 peace officers. In the two most high-profile cases, Grantsville Police Chief Danny Johnson received an 18-month suspension and Spanish Fork Police Chief Dee Rosenbaum received a four-year suspension.
Johnson was convicted of a misdemeanor when he tagged a deer his 15-year-old son shot on private property.
The council determined there was evidence that Rosenbaum attempted to shop ift from a store in Provo and lied about it. Rosenbaum has denied he tried to steal. No criminal charges have been filed.
The Spanish Fork City Council and mayor on Wednesday announced it had terminated Rosenbaum but said it believed the police council and an administrative law judge, who also ruled against Rosenbaum, got it wrong.
"The Mayor and [city] Council unanimously feel Chief Rosenbaum is innocent of the allegations brought and fully support him," the city council and mayor wrote in a press release.
There were two cases involving domestic violence.
Unified Police Department Officer Jason W. Bernards was suspended two years. Court records show in 2011 Bernards was charged with misdemeanor counts of assault and unlawful detention but those charges were later dropped. A note on the docket said the prosecutor dismissed the case "in the interest of justice."
The Council issued a four-year suspension to Utah Department of Corrections Officer Ryan F. Reynolds. In 2011, Reynolds was convicted of misdemeanor counts of assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
The council can take action even without a conviction if it finds clear and convincing evidence of criminal conduct.
A Utah state parks ranger, James I. Morgan, received a three-month suspension for unlawfully taking wildlife.
Utah State Parks Lt. Eric Stucki had few details about the case Wednesday, but said the offense had nothing to do with Morgan's role as a ranger.
"It all was on personal time during the deer hunt," Stucki said.
Three Utah Department of Corrections officers received letters of caution. In separate episodes in 2011, one officer was convicted of a misdemeanor for allowing a viscous animal to go at large and the other two officers were convicted of infractions for disorderly conduct. Infractions are lower offenses than misdemeanors and are not punishable by jail time.
Twitter: @natecarlisle