Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall says she asked Police Chief Mike Brown to retire.
- Mendenhall cited a need for change amid state pressure concerning public safety issues.
- A new police chief has not been named; Brown retires on Feb. 28.
SALT LAKE CITY — The mayor of Utah's capital city says she urged the city's police chief to step down earlier this week.
"This was my decision," Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall told reporters Friday after attending a hearing on a bill that would ask cities similar to Salt Lake City's size to partner with state police on issues or risk losing out on state funds.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown announced Wednesday he would retire at the end of the month, stepping away from the post he took in 2015. However, the Salt Lake City Mayor's Office released a statement at the same time indicating that the mayor had influenced Brown's decision, noting that Mendenhall had "determined that it's time for the next chapter" in police leadership.
Mendenhall declined to comment further at the time but said on Friday that she believes it is a good time to make a change in police leadership while the city continues to deal with pressure from state leaders.
While she commended Brown for his work to lower crime rates and retain police officers, especially after crime and officer job loss spiked across major U.S. cities in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the city still has dealt with criticism from state leaders. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and other state leaders wrote a letter to Mendenhall in December, calling on the city to address policing and criminal justice "inadequacies."
That led to a new public safety plan the city released last month. The mayor was at the state Capitol on Friday to oppose HB465, a bill introduced this week that could jeopardize state funds if the city doesn't partner with the Utah Department of Public Safety on public safety measures.
"The department is as strong as it has ever been, and it's time for us to make a change with new leadership," she said. "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 called HB465 unnecessary because it's something the city already committed to in its public safety plan. She said she asked Brown about stepping down before the bill was crafted but did not say exactly when those conversations took place.
The decision, she said, was made at some point after "relationship stability had an impact" on the city's frontline officers.
Salt Lake City has yet to name a new police chief or interim replacement before Brown's retirement takes effect on Feb. 28. The mayor said she'll look for a candidate who can run an evolving police department to reflect public needs, an ability which she said Brown excelled.
Mendenhall said the replacement also needs to work across different agencies, which the city had struggled with in recent years. She noted the state is at another "inflection point" when it comes to issues like homelessness and cartel-related drug crime, which the public safety plan addresses.
"We need strong relationships across the system," she said. "That is my primary area of focus that was being unmet sufficiently."
Brown joined the Salt Lake City Police Department, working his way up to police chief in 2015. In a public letter announcing his retirement, he said he plans to spend more time with his family in the future.
"There is never a perfect time to step away from a career that has defined you, challenged you and given you a profound sense of purpose. Policing has never been just a job for me — it has been a calling and a lifelong commitment to public service," he wrote. "Being chief has been the greatest honor of my career, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity to lead, to serve and to make a difference."
