News

Actions

POST drops investigation into officer Shaun Cowley

Posted at 8:37 PM, May 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-11 22:37:09-04

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — The agency that certifies and disciplines Utah police officers has dropped its investigation into former West Valley City Police Department officer Shaun Cowley.

Peace Officer Standards and Training sent Cowley a letter saying there isn’t enough evidence he broke the law while working with the department’s neighborhood narcotics unit, which was disbanded due to allegations of impropriety.

Cowley thinks the department used him as a scapegoat, and his attorney says this decision is the final piece in this chapter.

“He’s been cleared of all criminal wrongdoing, his employment was reinstated, and now with POST basically saying he has done nothing wrong—at this point he’s a free man,” Attorney Lindsay Jarvis said. “It’s a complete vindication for him.”

Cowley filed a lawsuit against West Valley City in February. He also faced charges in the shooting death of Danielle Willard back in 2012, but that case was ultimately dismissed.