SALT LAKE CITY — FOX 13 News revealed this week how six officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department have been under investigation for weeks because of an arrest made in 2019.
After reviewing the body camera video, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill declined to file charges.
"These kinds of encounters happen thousands of times,” Gill said. “You’re entitled to use reasonable force.”
More than a dozen current and former officers told FOX 13 News they agreed with the decision.
They believe the six officers should have never been placed on leave.
THREAD - Tarik Mason was arrested in 2019.
— Adam Herbets (@AdamHerbets) March 29, 2023
More than three years later.. the six @SLCPD officers who arrested him are under investigation for use of force. pic.twitter.com/XBCbj7M030
Gill stated there needs to be some sort of process put into place to prevent cases from being screened 3.5 years later. He was only able to screen the case for felony charges, but not misdemeanor charges, because the statute of limitations had run out by the time the case was brought to his attention.
"We are going to be scrutinized, and rightfully so," Gill said. "I think we have an obligation to explain, be truthful, be open about the decisions that we make... Being proactive, open, and transparent is something that we do as public servants regardless of what our job description is."
"Did you communicate that to (Chief Mike Brown) when you spoke to him?" asked FOX 13 News investigative reporter Adam Herbets.
"I’ve communicated that to every chief for the last 12-14 years," Gill responded.
Chief Brown stated he's already made changes, but he declined all interviews and later acknowledged there hasn't been any written changes to policy.
He sent the following email to his officers on Wednesday night, upset with anyone working with FOX 13 News to release public information.
“Our department did not release nor confirm the identities of our employees,” Chief Brown wrote. “I am very disappointed this information was released and used.”
Matt Evans, a former SLCPD internal affairs sergeant, scoffed at the email.
He is one of several officers who stated he believes the letter is an example of Chief Brown shifting the blame to the media instead of taking accountability for his own decision to place the officers on administrative leave.
"He’s reactionary. He’s going to go overboard to show he’s doing something," Evans said. "The video shows that it wasn't a big deal... What (are the) officer security risks? Officers are always in the news."
Several sources with close ties to the case told FOX 13 News that Captain John Beener criticized Chief Brown for placing the officers on administrative leave. Shortly thereafter, Captain Beener was placed under investigation for the second time this year.
"They call (Chief Brown) the 'Handwringer' for a reason," Evans said. "He always just worries and doesn't like to make decisions... This just shows that time and time again, he tries to make someone else the scapegoat. He’s never consistent."
"It just demoralizes the officers, and other officers are like, 'That could happen to me.'"
Officers say Chief Brown has lost the trust of his own department. In 2020, the union representing SLCPD officers took a “vote of no confidence” in the chief.
“He has no integrity, and he makes us sick," said an SLCPD K-9 officer who asked to not be named due to fear of retaliation. "He publicly called us out and did exactly what he is accusing (FOX 13 News) of.”
Some view Chief Brown’s email as a “veiled threat” for anyone who speaks to the media.
“So he’s pissed that someone is leaking info? Maybe he should just stop hiding stuff,” said another officer. “What an idiot! It sucks that they got put on leave. That's just crazy after four years."
Rich Lewis, a retired SLCPD captain who used to oversee internal affairs, sent the following statement to FOX 13 News.
"(Chief Brown) panicked and looked for a crutch to lean on, plain and simple," Lewis wrote. "He panicked and sent this case to (Unified Police Department) so he didn't have to stand on his own decision, this is nothing more than poor leadership, as he had an internal process in place he could have followed."
A spokesperson for UPD confirmed the department received the case from SLCPD earlier this year. Investigators did not recommend charges be filed against the six officers, but they had the case screened by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office as a precaution.