It didn’t take long for Salt Lake City’s mayor to name a new police chief.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall on Thursday named Brian Redd, executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections, as her recommendation to replace Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown, whose sudden retirement last week goes into effect at the end of the month.
“Salt Lake City needs strong, decisive leadership that knows our city’s unique landscape, and the landscape of the state of Utah,” Mendenhall said. “Mr. Redd is that leader.”
The mayor added that Redd’s past service with the Utah Department of Public Safety and in Salt Lake City as the vice president of Goldman Sachs' Compliance Division aided her decision.
His appointment is still subject to final approval by the Salt Lake City Council, which is expected to take place on March 4. An interim chief will be named in the few days between Brown’s resignation and Redd’s confirmation if he is approved by the council.
Thursday’s announcement comes after Brown announced on Feb. 12 he would step down from his role on Feb. 28, retiring after 33 years of service and 10 years as the head of the department. Days later, Mendenhall confirmed she asked Brown to retire while the city meanders through public safety issues brought up by state leaders.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and other state leaders penned a letter to Mendenhall in December, calling on the city to address policing and criminal justice “inadequacies.” They wrote that the “ineffectiveness of (the Salt Lake City Police Department) has become glaringly apparent,” which led to “escalating public safety challenges” they said they hear about from residents and business owners daily.
Mendenhall responded last month, releasing a 49-page public safety plan outlining criminal justice and homelessness reforms that she said need to be implemented at all levels of government to fix the “brokenness of this system.” Yet, the city still finds itself at the center of some public safety-related bills going through the Utah Legislature.
The mayor spoke about her decision to hire a new police chief while she was at the state Capitol to oppose a bill that could withhold state funds from cities like Salt Lake City that don’t partner with the Utah Department of Public Safety on public safety issues.
“The police chief’s role is absolutely inclusive of the data of what is happening regarding crime in our city. It’s also inclusive of relationships that keep us functional as a capital city that deals with statewide issues. And those relationships are not as strong as they need to be,” Mendenhall said last week.
This story may be updated.