The officers of the Salt Lake Police Department are doing their best trying to perform under very hard circumstances. These amazing women and men deserve our support – but most importantly, they deserve leaders who lead.
Here’s what I know. SLCPD response times to 911 calls are getting longer. As a downtown business owner, I have first-hand, personal experience. Even the highest priority calls are taking 17 minutes before police arrive, as opposed to just over 10 at the beginning of the year. The mayor’s failure to address the shelter-resistant homeless problem is draining dignity, resources and the patience levels of all those who live, work and visit our capital city. The fact is that many, if not most, are losing their faith in our city’s leadership. Our city is dirty and feels unsafe in a way I’ve never experienced before.
Here’s what I also know – the authorized strength of the SLCPD (the amount of sworn officers that can be hired by the police department) is at an all-time high. Salt Lake City has historically funded its police at a responsible level. While any public service department can always use more resources – SLC has always had enough. This police chief has had enough resources to buy new SUVs instead of hybrids, new assault vehicles and riot gear, and even has sharp new uniforms under his tenure. So, how can he explain the lack of retention? Lack of organization? Lack of responsiveness? He can’t, because it begins by looking at the man in the mirror.
Our leadership must do better. They must rise to the occasion. We, as Salt Lake City residents, want the mayor and chief to succeed. But the time for convening, teary eyes, thoughts and prayers, photo ops, hollow apologies, explanations of conditions and excuses has passed.
It’s time for two things. First, acknowledge the problems. The citizens understand that you’re dealing with some circumstances you didn’t create. But the current approach of excuse-making and being defensive is making those circumstances worse.
Second, start insisting on results. Mayor, this may mean you have to make some tough decisions. To many of us, it’s clear there needs to be a leadership change in the chief’s office. Bring in the right talent, trust their expertise, and hire a chief who insists he or she be allowed to run their own department. The mayor does not have the specialized talent skills to be the chief of police and should hire someone who does and then get out of their way. It is clear that our current poor leadership lacks vision.
We cannot afford to fail. We can’t afford two more years of poor leadership and negative outcomes. We can’t afford to wait another start-up year for a new administration’s plans to be enacted. What’s frustrating is that change and improved results can be achieved – if you believe you can. It appears our mayor does not believe she can.
When we don’t get the small stuff right, it leads to getting the big stuff wrong. If the leadership of the police department and our city was better, would officers have been able to respond to the more than six calls, over several hours, to have a party broken up in Sugar House this week, instead of only responding to shots fired that resulted in a young man’s death and a young woman gravely injured?
We are not losing control of the capital city, we’ve lost it. But it’s not too late to turn it around. We need big ideas, not temporary band-aids. We used to work together, and that’s what we need again, but we must have leaders that can lead.
David Ibarra
David Ibarra is a leadership consultant, entrepreneur, speaker and author with a background in the hospitality, automotive and talent development industries. He lives and works in downtown Salt Lake City.