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‘Behind the Headlines:’ Police K9 use and Utah coal

(Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jeffery Ryans talks about his case with his attorney Gabriel White, left and Attorney Dan Garner, Aug. 5, 2020. Ryans is suing Salt Lake City police after he says officers used excessive force when they commanded a police dog to attack him repeatedly while he was on his knees with his hands in the air. Body camera footage shows the officer continued to order the dog to bite Ryans even after another officer sat on him and handcuffed him. Ryans' left leg was severely injured by the dog's bites.

  | Aug. 13, 2020, 8:56 p.m.

This week in Utah news:

A Salt Lake City officer who ordered a police dog to attack a Black man who was on his knees with his hands in the air has been suspended pending an investigation into whether the use of force was necessary, Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced Wednesday. The announcement comes a day after The Salt Lake Tribune published bodycam footage of Officer Nickolas Pearce ordering his dog to bite 36-year-old Jeffery Ryans early on April 24.

An export terminal in Oakland, Calif. intended for shipping Utah coal is bankrupt and waiting to see if Utah lawmakers will provide a $20 million bailout. Relief could come as soon as Aug. 20 when the Utah Legislature votes on whether to advance state money to pay off the project’s creditors, according to lawyers for Insight Terminal Solutions, the beleaguered company now at the center of the Oakland controversy.

And The Salt Lake Tribune’s interim editor David Noyce discusses the future of the paper after the departure of editor Jennifer Napier-Pearce.

At 9 a.m. on Friday, Salt Lake Tribune reporters Brian Maffly and Jessica Miller, and interim editor David Noyce join KCPW’s Roger McDonough to talk about the week’s top stories. Every Friday at 9 a.m., stream “Behind the Headlines” at kcpw.org, or tune in to KCPW 88.3 FM or Utah Public Radio for the broadcast. Join the live conversation by calling (801) 355-TALK.