SALT LAKE CITY — Officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department have been disciplined for inappropriately handling the dead body of a homeless man last summer.
Jason Lloyd was 47 years old. The department placed seven employees on leave once they found out what happened to his body.
According to SLCPD, the death was ruled as an "accident."
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Body camera video released Friday shows officers laughing as they used a box cutter to slice through blisters on Lloyd's skin.
Dakota Smigel, an officer in training, said at first he thought it was a prank but then he felt convinced by the more experienced officers on his team.
Officer Mark Keep violated eight department policies. He resigned in lieu of discipline.
Officer Paul Mullenax violated four department policies and received a three-day suspension.
Officer Michelle Peterson violated two department policies and received a warning.
The department stated it did not have a written record showing discipline against Smigel, although he was found to have violated one policy.
The Utah Attorney General's Office conducted a criminal investigation. Prosecutors have not filed criminal charges.
Officers, former chief demand answers from SLCPD related to handling of body:
Bodycam video shows Keep and Mullenax prompting Smigel to move Lloyd's body.
"I feel like you’re pranking me," Smigel said. "Why are you smirking like that?"
Smigel was eventually handed a box cutter. The three officers laughed about the incident afterwards.
"You guys suck," Smigel said.
"We had to do that," Keep responded.
"It's okay," Smigel said.
According to SLCPD, the officers instructed Smigel to avoid mentioning the knife in his police report. Unsubmitted drafts of his report confirmed Smigel did try to document his actions.
Internal affairs records show Peterson may not have witnessed the cutting, but she made disrespectful comments such as telling Smigel that he is "able to now say that he 'cut a b****.'"
Several officers who were disturbed by the incident contacted FOX 13 News in August.
The department declined to comment for more than six months.
FOX 13 News requested public records related to the case in August. The department declined to release the records until after FOX 13 News filed a records lawsuit in February.
Experts said there is no reason for an officer to cut through blisters on a dead body.
"Every person who is passed away and is in our care as a law enforcement agency should be treated with the utmost respect no matter who they are, how they died, what they did prior to the death. It’s our job to be respectful," said Jennifer Shen, retired director of the San Diego Police Department Crime Lab. "You only get one crack at the evidence."
Chris Burbank, the former chief of SLCPD, said the investigation should have only taken two days — not six months.
"This is not a hard investigation," Burbank said. "Especially if there’s a video that demonstrates this and shows this. I would be outraged if this was my relative!"
According to SLCPD Chief Mike Brown, the officers' conduct was "unprofessional, discourteous, disrespectful, and offensive."
“This behavior does not align with the professionalism and integrity we demand as a police department. I extend my deepest condolences to Mr. Lloyd’s family. Every person we encounter deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Our decorum during death investigations must never again fall short of our core values as it did at times in this case.”
The statement from Chief Brown was released on his final day in office.
