Utah Department of Public Safety officials confirmed Monday they are investigating Olsen, who took a leave of absence from his police job in January to serve four years as the Utah County town's full-time mayor.

"We expect honesty and integrity of all troopers who work for this organization," Lt. Doug McCleve said Monday. "In a case where a person has lied or misrepresented - which is the same as lying - we take that very seriously."

When pressed last week, Olsen conceded he has lied repeatedly - to the public and the press - about having a master's of public administration from Brigham Young University. Turns out, he has a public manager's certificate for taking two 15-week courses he took as a trooper in 2003.

Informed of the state probe, Olsen pledged to be open about his past.

"When I became an elected official, I opened my life to public scrutiny," Eagle Mountain spokesman Royce Van Tassell quoted the mayor as saying. "I will cooperate fully with the troopers. I have nothing to hide."

The scope of the state's probe will be limited to Olsen's actions and statements during his nine years with the UHP. McCleve said anything Olsen may have lied about as mayor is not a reflection of the department.

"It has nothing to do with the Highway Patrol," he said. "This is a choice Brian has made. . . . If it is determined there was some false information given to us [by Olsen] internally, we will take the appropriate action." He declined to speculate on what that action might be.

Regardless of what the probe turns up, former city councilman and mayoral candidate Brigham Morgan said Olsen's credibility in Eagle Mountain "is shot." He said stability at City Hall is important to the city's ability to get favorable rates on funding and on help from for roads, water and other issues. Olsen, he noted, axed City Administrator Chris Hillman and now this.

"The other big issue I have: Nobody seems to care," added Morgan, who lost to Olsen in November. "This is the second [elected] mayor in a row that has lied, embarrassed the city and put it in jeopardy."

Former Mayor Kelvin Bailey pleaded no contest in 2004 to lying to the FBI and Utah County sheriff's investigators about being kidnapped.

meddington@sltrib.com