SALT LAKE CITY — After nearly 10 years leading the Salt Lake City Police Department, Chief Mike Brown has announced his retirement, effective at the end of the month.
Saying there was "never a perfect time to step away from a career that has defined you," Brown shared how he was leaving the department to focus on his family and spend more time with his three sons.
"Our officers, detectives, professional staff, and the resilient and committed residents of Salt Lake City have been at the center of my career. Leading and growing with this city has truly been the greatest privilege of my life," Brown said in a statement.
Retired Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office Deputy Chief of Police Chris Bertram understood those conflicting feelings all too well.
“There’s more sand in the bottom of my hourglass than in the top and there may be a time to go out and enjoy what we have left,” said Bertram, who echoed the words of recently retired LAPD Chief Michel Moore.
Still, Bertram was taken aback by the abrupt nature of Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown’s departure.
“We’ve got a lot of development downtown, we’ve got a new crime plan,” said Bertram. “I remember when I put my letter in to retire - it was four months out. I was going to give the city where I was serving as the chief plenty of time to pick my replacement.”
Despite Brown's statement that he was stepping down on his own accord, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said she "has determined that it’s time for the next chapter in the SLCPD’s leadership."
Brown joined the Salt Lake City Police Department on May 31, 1991, and was named chief nine years ago. In his statement announcing his retirement, Brown lauded the department's efforts to help lower crime in the city as well as its community outreach and modernization.
While data shows property crime in the city has declined in many categories under Brown's tenure, there were about as many violent crimes last year as there was when the chief took the position in 2015.
The chief also shared a message with those he led in the department.
"Never lose sight of your purpose. The work you do is not easy," he wrote. "It is often misunderstood, but it is deeply essential to protecting and preserving our way of life. Stay committed to excellence, support one another, and never let the critics or skepticism define your mission. The strength of this department truly lies in its people, its resilience, and its commitment to service."
Bertram has known Brown for over three decades in law enforcement and believes that his institutional knowledge of the city won't be easy to replace.
“There were highs and lows, and there always will be with a chief,” said Bertram. “If you think it’s always going to be perfect - it’s not.”
“If it’s Chief Brown’s decision to go, I respect that,” Bertram added. “You’ve taken the department as far as you want to take it and then someone else gets the opportunity to take it, hopefully a few steps further.”
“The next chief is going to take Salt Lake City into an exciting, fast-growing time - and then beyond that is the Olympics."
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