SALT LAKE CITY — Brian Redd was sworn in as the new police chief of Salt Lake City on Tuesday night after the city council voted to approve his appointment.
"I just look forward to supporting the officers and the residents and doing my part to make it a better place,” said Chief Redd.
NORTHERN UTAH
What do Salt Lake City residents want to see from their new police chief?
Three weeks ago, former SLCPD Chief Mike Brown announced that he would be stepping down after Mayor Erin Mendenhall decided it was time for new leadership. A week later, Mayor Mendenhall announced that Redd was her pick to be the next chief.
"I don’t take this responsibility lightly. And I just want you to know that I’m here to serve our officers,” Redd said in front of city council members during Tuesday afternoon’s work session.
“I want to hear in your words: why do you want to be the police chief for every Salt Laker?" asked Councilwoman Eva Lopez-Chavez.
Council members got to understand more about Redd’s background and laid out what they hope to see.
The council ended up approving him unanimously, and he was sworn in shortly after the vote during the formal meeting.
Since Redd was not already a Salt Lake City employee, he had to go in front of the city council before his appointment. With his family and other police officers in the room, Redd took questions about his plans in this role, how he would foster transparency and accountability, and work with residents.
Redd worked with the Department of Public Safety for two decades. He was also one of the lead coordinators of Operation Rio Grande, a law enforcement campaign to address homelessness near Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Park.
"I live on the west side where Operation Rio Grande is referred to as operation leaf blower, and even with that legacy, I can’t find anyone who has said anything bad about you,” said Councilwoman Victoria Petro.
Redd most recently served as the executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections. He leaned on his background from working at the prison, and emphasized wanting to listen to officers on the ground and support them.
"Competitive compensation is key to getting people in the door for sure, but it’s the culture, it’s the good supervision that keeps people in an organization,” added Redd.
He spoke about wanting to be a pillar in the community, listening to residents and community partners.
"It’s important to me that we work closely with the community,” said Redd. “We understand the concerns, we're available and we serve ... in an empathetic and compassionate way as we police."
The city said Redd takes the role immediately and will start his first shift as chief at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.
