Category: Audits

Unified Police Department officer Nicholas Riggs had his law enforcement certification revoked in 2019 after committing communications fraud by falsely reporting a credit card theft and involvement in a drunk driving hit-and-run crash. Utah’s POST Council voted to decertify Riggs, permanently barring him from police service.

West Valley City Police Detective Shaun Cowley fatally shot Danielle Willard during an undercover drug operation in 2012. Prosecutors charged Cowley with manslaughter, but the case was dismissed after expert testimony that Cowley feared for his life. Willard’s family received a $1.4 million wrongful-death settlement in 2015, and Cowley later settled his own lawsuit against […]

Cottonwood Heights Police Officer Casey Davies fatally shot 19-year-old Zane James in 2018 after ramming James off his motorbike following a robbery investigation. Prosecutors determined Davies’ initial use of force was unjustified but filed no criminal charges. In 2023, the city’s insurer paid $4 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by James’ family.

Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Lisa Steed was fired in 2012 amid accusations she falsified DUI reports and unlawfully arrested numerous drivers without cause. Investigations found Steed had a pattern of questionable DUI arrests involving as many as 1,500 motorists over several years. Several lawsuits were filed, and in 2016 Utah’s Attorney General settled a case […]

Unified Police Department officer Lance Bess was involved in an off-duty incident in 2015 where he confronted duck hunters with his firearm after shotgun pellets flew near him. Bess was later convicted of misdemeanor threatening with a dangerous weapon, and in 2018 the Utah Supreme Court upheld his conviction. In 2019, Utah’s POST Council suspended […]

Unified Police Officer Jared Brooks Cardon was charged with DUI and drug possession after crashing his patrol SUV on Interstate 15 in June 2021 while on duty. Responding officers found Cardon unconscious behind the wheel, revived him with Narcan, and discovered fentanyl and oxycodone in his system. He resigned in 2021 and faced narcotics and […]

Salt Lake City Police Detective Jeff Payne was fired in 2017 after he arrested nurse Alex Wubbels for refusing to allow an illegal blood draw from an unconscious patient. Body camera footage of Payne roughly handcuffing the compliant nurse sparked national outrage, and Salt Lake City later paid Wubbels a $500,000 settlement for the incident.

Salt Lake City Police K-9 officer Nickolas Pearce was charged with aggravated assault after a 2020 incident in which he ordered his police dog to bite a kneeling suspect, Jeffery Ryans, who had his hands in the air. Ryans sustained serious injuries from the K-9 attack. Pearce faced up to 15 years in prison, but […]

University of Utah Police Officer Miguel Deras mishandled evidence by saving and displaying explicit photos of student Lauren McCluskey, a victim of stalking and homicide in 2018. A state investigation in 2020 described his behavior as definitely reckless. Deras faced no criminal charges due to gaps in state law, but he was fired from the […]

Unified Police Department officer Nicholas Riggs had his law enforcement certification revoked in 2019 after committing communications fraud by falsely reporting a credit card theft and involvement in a drunk driving hit-and-run crash. Utah’s POST Council voted to decertify Riggs, permanently barring him from police service.

West Valley City Police Detective Shaun Cowley fatally shot Danielle Willard during an undercover drug operation in 2012. Prosecutors charged Cowley with manslaughter, but the case was dismissed after expert testimony that Cowley feared for his life. Willard’s family received a $1.4 million wrongful-death settlement in 2015, and Cowley later settled his own lawsuit against […]

Cottonwood Heights Police Officer Casey Davies fatally shot 19-year-old Zane James in 2018 after ramming James off his motorbike following a robbery investigation. Prosecutors determined Davies’ initial use of force was unjustified but filed no criminal charges. In 2023, the city’s insurer paid $4 million to settle a civil rights lawsuit brought by James’ family.

Unified Police Department officer Lance Bess was involved in an off-duty incident in 2015 where he confronted duck hunters with his firearm after shotgun pellets flew near him. Bess was later convicted of misdemeanor threatening with a dangerous weapon, and in 2018 the Utah Supreme Court upheld his conviction. In 2019, Utah’s POST Council suspended […]

Unified Police Officer Jared Brooks Cardon was charged with DUI and drug possession after crashing his patrol SUV on Interstate 15 in June 2021 while on duty. Responding officers found Cardon unconscious behind the wheel, revived him with Narcan, and discovered fentanyl and oxycodone in his system. He resigned in 2021 and faced narcotics and […]

Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Lisa Steed was fired in 2012 amid accusations she falsified DUI reports and unlawfully arrested numerous drivers without cause. Investigations found Steed had a pattern of questionable DUI arrests involving as many as 1,500 motorists over several years. Several lawsuits were filed, and in 2016 Utah’s Attorney General settled a case […]