More leadership changes coming for Salt Lake police

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Salt Lake police announce leadership changes, replacing two deputy chiefs among others.
New appointees bring fresh perspectives, Chief Brian Redd says.
Public safety remains a priority after changes earlier this year.

SALT LAKE CITY — More changes are coming to the Salt Lake City Police Department following an even larger shakeup at the top earlier this year.

Salt Lake deputy police chiefs Victor Siebeneck and Andrew Wright will soon be replaced by Utah Adult Probation and Parole Chief Alex Garcia and West Valley Deputy Police Chief Brandon Christiansen, Salt Lake City Police Chief Brian Redd announced in an email to staff on Thursday. Additionally, Salt Lake Police Cmdr. Bill Manzanares will be promoted to deputy chief.

Brent Weisberg, the department's communications administrative director and spokesperson, will also be replaced by Glen Mills, a former television news anchor who currently serves as director of communications and government relations for the Utah Department of Corrections.

A date for the changes to occur has not yet been established, Weisberg confirmed on Friday, but the new administration changes are expected to take place at some point later this month or in early August. Redd wrote that he's "incredibly grateful" for the "significant" contributions and service of the outgoing employees, but also expressed excitement over the department's new hires.

"These individuals bring exceptional leadership, experience and a fresh perspective to our department," he said. "I'm confident their contributions will strengthen our ability to serve and support both our personnel and the community."

Last week's announcement is the first major change within the department since Redd took over in March, replacing former Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown, who retired after a decade in the post at the request of Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. That change took place amid pressure from state leaders over concerns about public safety in Utah's capital city.

Gov. Spencer Cox and top legislators sent Mendenhall a letter in late 2024 outlining their concerns about policing and criminal justice "inadequacies."

"Local law enforcement is the front end of the system to appropriately address the disorder that we are experiencing in our capital city. The ineffectiveness of (the Salt Lake City Police Department) has become glaringly apparent," state leaders wrote at the time.

Utah lawmakers also passed a bill calling on the city to enter an interagency agreement with the Utah Department of Public Safety regarding "public safety concerns," after the bill was modified to remove a provision that would have withheld certain state funds for not entering into the partnership.

Meanwhile, Mendenhall unveiled a public safety plan in January in response to the state letter. The document outlined four "guiding principles" along with dozens of recommendations for the city, county and state to enact in order to make meaningful changes. Then, in February, she called on Brown to retire after she "determined that it's time for the next chapter."

The mayor named Redd, who was director of the Utah Department of Corrections at the time, as her pick to lead the department shortly thereafter. Handling challenges like drugs and taking a "humane and dignified way" to handle homelessness were some of the things that Redd said he would like to focus on first.

"We still have to prioritize public safety first, and then work with our partners in the social services system, crisis services system to address the root causes of those things," he said as he took over the department.

Overall crime is down slightly from last year, and nearly 12% from the three-year average, according to department statistics. However, violent offenses are up about 8.5% from last year and 0.6% from the three-year average.

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