SALT LAKE CITY — The sudden retirement of Salt Lake City Police Department Chief Mike Brown has many wondering what a chief does.
Being a police chief in Utah isn’t just about responding to calls and managing staff, although those are some of the responsibilities that come with the top spot in the department.
In Park City, Chief Wade Carpenter credits his officers, city officials, and community members for making the city what it is. Carpenter arrived in his role 17 years ago and experienced a transition period similar to what SLCPD faces with Brown's retirement.
“By knowing those who had a history working through these processes, I wasn’t arrogant enough to think I have the answers, I clearly knew that I didn’t have the answers,” Chief Carpenter said. “So, I would go to the former chief and ask what worked well? What failed? What do we need to do?”
Mike Brown spent years disregarding calls for his resignation. Not anymore:
Carpenter added that by being willing to accept failure and make changes, the department has been able to claim success.
Park City has grown since Carpenter started, adding more events and welcoming more people.
“When you invite the world to your community, you have to make sure you can keep them safe,” he said.
Well-built relationships with other agencies and cities make events like Sundance and the Olympics easier to plan and manage.
“Chief Brown and I communicated a lot," the chief explained. "Also, with other events that we have a lot of lap over, we are very fortunate in the state of Utah because our sheriffs, chiefs and DPS like each other. So that planning is absolutely important as we move forward.”
Carpenter added that being the immediate past president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police has helped him when planning and organizing events for Park City.
With change underway in Salt Lake City, Carpenter believes it will be vital for the officer who fills Brown’s shoes to maintain relationships within their community and beyond.
“I think whoever steps into that role is going to have to put those relationships first, and obviously, have great relationships within their own community, city council, county council, sheriff’s office, I think all of those are very vital,” he said. “It’s like they say … they don’t care what you know if they don’t know how much you care.”
Carpenter admitted that being a chief can be hard at times, but it’s important to let people know how much you care.
