Is it becoming harder to distinguish between the good guys and the bad within the Salt Lake City Police Department? Last September, a union-driven survey indicated a majority of officers on the street would prefer a new head man. Yet when contacted by a Deseret News reporter, only a fraction said Chief Ruben Ortega was a problem.
Now there is another case of alleged officer disgruntlement following an independent audit initiated by the Salt Lake City Council. A survey indicated those on the street have "limited confidence" in top management related to job performance expectations and conduct, promotions, disciplinary actions and other internal affairs.They are, however, satisfied with their immediate supervisors and had praise for specialty units such as vice, K-9 and the crime lab. Non-sworn employees such as staff and dispatchers feel good about their supervisors and top management, the survey showed.
So where does that leave morale? Lukewarm, apparently. There should be efforts to improve that, but overreactions are not in order by department brass or the City Council.
It is hardly unusual for law-enforcement agencies to experience some tension between administrators and officers. To a limited degree, that can be healthy and help maintain a proper degree of diligence and respect. Yet excessive friction is detrimental.
Frustrations at SLPD focus on Ortega, assistant chiefs and captains. Officers complain of various inequities and a perceived inconsistent application of policies, including discipline, as well as a fear reprisal for their complaints. Those allegations should be investigated by the City Council to ensure a fair environment exists up and down the line. It is to everyone's benefit to repair disconnections, disagreements and misunderstandings between line officers and those at the top.
Whatever the department's internal tone, it has played well in the community. Public satisfaction and support has been high, bolstered by community policing and other outreach efforts initiated by Ortega. And the chief, whatever his shortcomings, is sought after nationally by other police departments, the U.S. attorney general and others for input on law-enforcement issues.
Barring unusual and extreme findings, he and his top associates merit continued support within and without the Salt Lake Police Department. Problems should be dealt with and forgotten, since a unified show of force is needed in the ongoing war against crime in all its insidious forms.