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LAYTON -- It is no longer against the law for licensed private investigators to sift through residential garbage in Layton, as long as that garbage is in a can on the curb.
The city has altered a unique city ordinance, that basically bans dumpster diving.
Assistant City Attorney Steve Garside says the ordinance does not give investigators license to violate trespassing laws, but it does include them, along with police officers, on the list of people who can do the occasional Dumpster dive.
Sean Kane, President of the Private Investigators Association of Utah, says according to the Supreme Court, once trash hits the street, it is public domain. "We sometimes have a need to search in somebody's trash," he said.
The city passed its original ordinance in 2005, citing concerns over identity theft. But Kane says that's not an issue with licensed investigators who are actually registered with the Department of Public Safety.
Garside believes that ordinance has had a positive impact. He says police will still respond to suspicious circumstances when people are going through garbage, but private investigators will not be cited if they produce their credentials and as long as they're not on private property.
E-mail: mgiauque@ksl.com
