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MILLCREEK — Officers wearing green, again, instead of blue.
The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office and the Unified Police Department believe that will probably be the biggest visible difference to the public starting Monday when the two law enforcement agencies officially separate.
At 10 a.m. on Monday, about 60 officers who were members of the Unified Police Department will be sworn-in as Salt Lake County sheriff's deputies. About 10 others were sworn-in on Friday. Most, if not all of the 70 officers, however, will retain the same duties that they had with Unified police. So, essentially, the same faces will be conducting the same duties as before, according to the department, but with different uniforms.
The switchover is the result of HB374 which passed in 2023 and forced the sheriff's office to split from Unified police.
The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office was started in 1849 and has continued to provide services to Salt Lake County over 175 years.
In 2010, the Unified Police Department was created to provide law enforcement services to unincorporated areas of the county. But rather than being run by Salt Lake County, Unified police was overseen by a CEO and board of directors and was given taxing ability. Under the bylaws created for the Unified Police Department, the Salt Lake County sheriff served as Unified's CEO.
But Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-South Jordan, who co-sponsored HB374, said residents of cities like his are double taxed: once for their municipal police force and once for Unified police, which is funded by county taxes. He also argued the model created a conflict of interest because the elected county sheriff also serves as the CEO of the Unified force. A separate chief of police oversees day-to-day operations for the Unified Police Department.
Last year, Sheriff Rosie Rivera said she would reluctantly support the bill. But Unified police will not be disbanded, as the communities Unified currently provides police service to have elected to continue their interlocal agreement for law enforcement services under the direction of a governing board.
What it means for residents
Rivera will remain sheriff, while Jason Mazuran will continue to be the chief of police for the Unified Police Department.
Specialized units, such as the Metro Gang Unit, DEA task force and search and rescue, will again be overseen by the sheriff's office, as they were in 2010.
Unified police will provide patrol services to the communities of Kearns, Magna, Midvale, Millcreek, Holladay, Copperton, Emigration Canyon, White City and the town of Brighton. The sheriff's office will patrol the unincorporated parts of Salt Lake County, which consist of approximately 10,000 residents, as well as the Cottonwood canyons.
Members of the sheriff's office will return to their green uniforms, while Unified police will continue to wear blue. The vehicles patrolling the canyons will also display "Salt Lake County Sheriff" logos. But most of the specialized units, such as Metro Gangs, have unmarked vehicles and their officers wear street clothes, so there won't be a visible change. The SWAT team will be under the direction of Unified police.
The sheriff's office will still be headquartered near 3300 South and 900 West, while Unified police will operate out of the Millcreek precinct, near 3300 South and 1300 East.
The phone number for nonemergencies will still be 801-840-4000 for all residents.
