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HEBER CITY — Wasatch County's sheriff has withdrawn his resignation letter to the department.
The move comes as Sheriff Jared Rigby was scheduled to be sworn in as the new director of Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training on Monday, but the event was postponed.
All police officers in Utah must be certified by that organization, which provides training to cadets to become certified officers and sets the standard for the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training also investigates complaints levied against police officers and it is up to the director of the division to recommend potential discipline to officers who are determined to have committed ethics violations.
In November, the Utah Department of Public Safety issued a press release stating that Rigby had been appointed as the new director, replacing the vacancy created by Maj. Scott Stephenson, who is now head of the Utah Fraternal Order of Police.
On Jan. 5, the union issued a public statement requesting that Rigby's appointment be postponed "to assess new information that has recently come to light."
The Utah Fraternal Order of Police cited a story from KSTU that included video of Rigby talking to a Heber City officer and making "blatantly unprofessional statements regarding the officer's future within the department," according to the union.
The officer stated that he believed Heber City Police Chief Dave Booth used illegal force on a man being arrested, according to the story. Rigby was appointed to conduct the use-of-force investigation. But in a video of the interview between Rigby and the officer, he appears to intimidate or threaten the officer, stating that his career won't progress if he doesn't change his story.
"These statements exposed a preconceived conclusion for the outcome that did not appear to be consistent with state law nor established internal investigation practices," the union states.
"We have refrained from attempting to influence the selection of the new director, trusting that the commissioner would be afforded an opportunity to select from multiple candidates based on the historical processes that we understand have always been used in making selections, including the checks and balances established by statute. We were disappointed to learn from the POST Council minutes that only a single name was sent to the commissioner for consideration.
"It is clear to us, after this newly discovered information, that the one name sent to the commissioner was not adequately vetted by the members of the council who submitted the name," the Utah Fraternal Order of Police continued.
Rigby sent to an internal memo to his department last week, telling them his appointment as Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training director had been postponed "or possibly cancelled."
According to Rigby, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Jess Anderson "cited a complaint filed a year ago by a liberal organization stating I threatened a Heber City officer during an internal affairs investigation."
Rigby says he was cleared of any wrongdoing, "but Commissioner Anderson states he is reopening the investigation nonetheless."
Because of that, Rigby says he is withdrawing his resignation as sheriff.
"I know that this is a weird turn of events and I apologize for the back and forth it causes. I had passed the required polygraph exam, background investigation and psychological exams. The employment agreement was signed and approved. I have, unfortunately, had to hire legal counsel to work through the employment laws that have been violated," he states in his memo.
Utah Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Hillary Koellner said it was determined that "more information has to be further analyzed" regarding Rigby's background check, something she called a standard procedure.
Koellner admits the video is part of the background investigation. Gov. Spencer Cox will have the final say whether Rigby is appointed as Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training director. Until then, deputy director Alex Garcia will continue to act as interim director.
