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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The spokesman for the Utah attorney general's office says the state is dealing with contemporary polygamy differently than it ever has before.
Paul Murphy spoke today at the Sunstone Symposium. He says raids on the families of Short Creek in 1953 -- an area known today as the border towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, -- were a mistake.
But he adds the state's decision to ignore those communities for the 50 years that followed "was an even bigger mistake."
These days, the attorney general's office is approaching polygamy from the law enforcement side and providing a safety net for those in unwanted polygamous situations.
Polygamists also are being involved in this process, being consulted on issues within their community.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
