Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST VALLEY CITY — West Valley City's new police chief said in an interview Wednesday that he plans to showcase his department's successes and own up to mistakes during a turn-around for the agency.
Chief Lee Russo has made a career out of law enforcement. He climbed the ranks and became chief of police in Covington, Kentucky in 2007.
"I was that kid that grew up playing cops and robbers and I never grew out of it," he said.
Russo said in Covington, he worked to reduce crime and changed the way the public perceived police.
"It was basically the police versus the community," he said. "They were very heavy-handed in how they delivered their law enforcement services."
Russo said as the first Chief brought in from the outside the community in Covington, he was met with resistance. In 2009, the Fraternal Order of Police in Covington said 94 percent of its members had a "no confidence" vote against him. Despite the challenges, he said he could have taken a softer approach in Covington. He said it's a lesson he will implement in West Valley.
"Were there mistakes along the way?" Russo said. "Absolutely. We all make mistakes. The key is to recognize when we make a mistake and learn from it and adapt to it."
Russo said that he has worked with several high profile cases during his career, and he plans to get a full brief on the Susan Powell case and see if anything could have been handled differently during the investigation or if there is anything more that can be done.
Related Stories:
'We're going to improve,' says new West Valley police chief
Lee Russo admits he may have ruffled a few feathers during his career, but he insists he isn't afraid of facing challenges.He also plans to analyze the problems surrounding the narcotics unit and will assist in determining the fate of the five officers who are still on leave.
"These could lead to a termination," Russo said. "Obviously, that would be unfortunate, someone could lose a career."
However, Russo said that many of the problems in the West Valley City Police department aren't unique to West Valley. He said he has had to fire officers before, but he said depending on the circumstances, second chances are possible.
"You have to consider the infraction," he said. "You have to consider the officer or the member involved and the circumstances and make that kind of determination."
He said he knows the community will be keeping a close eye on him, and he hopes they'll give him a chance to regain their trust in the West Valley Police department.
"They might not be happy that something's happened, but they can respect that they can understand that we're not going to be perfect all the time," he said. "But, we're going to do the best we can."
Russo has a five year contract with West Valley City.
