Mayor Requests Independent Investigation into Officer's Suspension

Richard Piatt Reporting Political tension is still simmering between Ogden's mayor and police officers. The Mayor Godfrey is on the defensive, responding to claims the city violated a police officer's free speech rights.

That bad blood is over a proposed raise -- how big, when it's coming and the strings, officers say, are attached. An incident last week over their pay raise has sparked the mayor's request for an independent investigation.

Ogden city police and fire departments. Finally, this year, the city council offered those departments a raise, but employees had to meet certain requirements. For officers, part of that criteria is to write a certain number of traffic tickets.

Officers upset with the idea put a sign about it on a van and have been driving it around. One officer was suspended shortly after the mayor saw that van being driven by the officer's wife last week. The police chief says that was just a coincidence, that the officer was suspended for an unrelated reason.

Because of political tensions between some officers and the mayor, it has created a public outcry. Today, Mayor Godfrey responded by asking the Weber County attorney to conduct an independent investigation.

Mayor Godfrey: "They'll be reviewing the action that was taken by the police chief in giving the leave to this officer, to make sure that the actions that were taken by the police chief were not only lawful and following prescribed rules and regulations, but also that they were ethical. They'll also be asked to look at my involvement, as limited as it was."

A few police officers were upset last week because they claim their free speech rights were obstructed. After last week, a rather harsh memo was issued, telling officers they couldn't speak to the media.

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