Ask a Cop: Setting the record straight

Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes

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Before I answer some of the questions you the readers have asked, I would like to tell you a little about myself and why I am writing this article. I'm a detective in the Salt Lake Valley. I have been a police officer for well over a decade and have seen almost everything that Utah can throw at a cop. I have a wife and kids and amazingly enough, I don't sit at home listening to the police radio all day, or just live at the police department agonizing over the big case, sustaining myself on whiskey and bitterness.

I was not hatched and grown in a police laboratory. I had a normal family, grew up in a normal neighborhood and did not want to be a cop when I was a kid. There was no one in my family or extended family who was a police officer. I wanted to be a pilot or a teacher and yes, even a professional baseball player. I realized that two of those required a lot of schooling and one required talent, so I continued to search for a career.

I started to realize that I was good at listening to people and fixing their problems. I did not panic in stressful situations. I did not get emotional unless "Field of Dreams" was on. I also, more than anything, did not like to see people being picked on or taken advantage of. This trait handed me a few beatings, but I felt good about myself. I have no desire to drive fast, and I'm not a gun collector, nor do I think going out for a weekend to shoot guns is a fun time.

I decided to go for the job with low pay, lower respect, little gratitude but decent benefits, job security and something different happening every day. I opted to be the bearer of bad news and to run toward the events that most run away from. I have at no time commandeered a vehicle, been abusive, been an alcoholic, worn a mustache, had a drug habit or shot at a vehicle to make it explode.

Through my travels and experiences as a law enforcement officer in Utah, I have realized that the public has a lot of questions about law enforcement and most questions go unanswered. You only get half the story of what's covered on the news or released from the police department. Some of you seem to get your information from your Uncle Jeb, who once was a security guard at the mall, or worse, your cousin who served a little time in prison.

Most of what I read on the ksl.com Comment Boards... shows that people are inexperienced with law enforcement and how it works.

Most of what I read on the ksl.com Comment Boards related to law enforcement stories shows that people are inexperienced with law enforcement and how it works. That or they repeat the urban legends referring to the prison industrial complex, the “crooked cops” in the state, ticket quotas ... (true) ... or they are just so bitter about the ticket they got that whatever they say is going to be negative because all cops are the same.

I think the other half of the comments are usually from cops trying on their own part to educate. I decided to write this article to avoid the “trolls,” be as honest and as open as I can and open the door that remains closed to most people. Here I am, public, lemme have it.

Dear Officer Anonymous,

I rent out the basement apartment to a guy who has been late on the rent dozens of times, has parties all the time and is becoming a real nuisance. Can I just take his stuff outside and change the locks?

Concerned Landlord

Dear Landlord,

As far as Utah law goes, they frown on you throwing out a tenant's belongings and changing the locks. In fact if you did that, you would be liable for his items and any damage or theft that occurred to them. It doesn't matter how horrible your tenant is, you unfortunately have to follow the eviction process. Most cities, police departments and Realtor offices can provide you for free a Utah Renters Handbook that explains all the ins and outs of being a landlord. I recommend you get that.

Unfortunately, you may be looking at a three-month process to follow all the eviction process. Now, if I were a landlord in your situation, I would serve a three-day eviction notice to the renter, with strong language stating things about lawsuits and criminal repercussions if they do not leave. Because in the end, if you can get them to leave, without force or physical threat, you just saved yourself a lot of time and money. I have even heard of crafty landlords saying things about how they did tests for meth in their residence and it came back positive, so they needed to vacate immediately before they got cancer.

Dear Officer Anonymous,

Do you know my friend Keith, who is a cop in Price?

Jeb

Dear Jeb,

Ask a Cop:

No. In fact I couldn't even point to Price on a Utah map. I barely know all the guys at my own department, and some I'm still sad about knowing.

Dear Officer Anonymous,

Have you ever shot anyone or Tazered anyone? Have you been Tazered?

Just Curious

Dear Just Curious,

I have never shot anyone nor do I want to, ever. If I can go a whole career without taking a life, I will be happy. Not to say I won't if I have to, that's just a part of the job. I have Tazered one person in my career, he was wanted for attempted homicide, had AIDS and was fighting me in the middle of a busy road.

Unfortunately, the Tazer did not work because one of the prongs hit his bra (he was a transvestite prostitute). I have never been Tazered because I am a chicken and am not required to be Tazered. I felt if I got Tazered, I may have a bit of an accident. Plus, I have held on to an electrified horse fence, and that hurt a lot.

I am not a lawyer, and this is in no way legal advice of any kind. This article is for entertainment purposes only with smatterings of education.