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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Corrections was the recent subject of an audit that found a "culture of noncompliance" at the state prison, and a lawsuit filed this month alleges it failed to supervise violent offenders who were released on parole.
But Utah Gov. Spencer Cox is optimistic about the future of the department, heaping praise on acting director Brian Redd during his monthly news conference on Thursday.
"Brian is one of the best and most competent public servants that I've ever engaged with," the governor said when asked why he didn't conduct a national search for a new director. "This was not a quick decision. This was not something that just happened overnight. We worked very closely with Brian over the course of many years in his former capacity with the Department of Public Safety."
Redd is "no stranger to law enforcement," and was "very successful" during his time at the helm of the State Bureau of Investigation, Cox continued.
The governor appointed Redd earlier this month to replace Brian Nielson. Redd most recently served as the vice president and manager in the compliance division at Goldman Sachs and is returning to public service, where he spent 21 years working for the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Cox said he has heard the appointment of Redd hailed as "brilliant," including by agency employees.
"Brian has exactly the educational background, the experience that we need in this position right now. I've had people from inside of corrections who have reached out to us and just thanked us over and over again for picking someone like Brian," he said. "So, I'm very optimistic. I'm very excited."
Redd began his tenure as acting director this week and appeared before the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee on Wednesday. He listened as lawmakers received a report from the legislative auditor reviewing the findings of their recent audit, which found that a "culture of noncompliance" was leading to health care problems at the new prison in Salt Lake City.
"I have reviewed the audits, I've listened to the hearings, so I'm starting to understand the issues," Redd told the committee. "I want to acknowledge, also, the responsibility that we do have to those in our supervision. ... We understand that and want to do everything we can to help those individuals be successful while they're in our supervision, and then once they get back out to their homes and families."
"The things that were communicated today are not OK," he said of the audit's findings.
He thanked lawmakers for their funding and support, promising to work with Utah Department of Human Services Executive Director Tracy Gruber to resolve the concerns.
"We're all ears. Director Gruber and I will work together closely with our teams to make sure that these issues are fixed. We own them together, and we'll work together," Redd said.
