Salt Lake City reports “progress” in improving public security, but violent crime has increased

Salt Lake City – six months after the recognition that Salt Lake City did not do enough to ensure public security, Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced on Wednesday that “enormous progress” was achieved in implementing the city's public security plan.

But as in January, the mayor also asks state leaders to do more at their end to support what she says, should be a joint effort.

“I would like to openly over the other goals that are outside the city. I am disappointed and I hope that further progress for these external recommendations will be made during this year's legislative period.

“We cannot do this alone. This crisis requires sustainable and long -term funds from the state to satisfy the expansion of this challenge in the fastest growing state of this nation.”

In January, Mendenhall announced the public security plan of the city, which included 27 strategies and 23 urgent recommendations for partners at the state and roundabout level in order to improve security in Utah's capital.

On Wednesday, when the mayor and police chief Brian Redd stood in front of the north entrance of the city building Salt Lake City County, he announced that 12 of these 27 strategies have now been completed. Many of them deal with emergency accommodation, affordable living space and the further combating of the drug problem and offer more mental health and search resources.

Mendenhall also pointed out that the city invests millions in public security.

“And as part of these investments, we have now added parking security in nine city parks and along the most important sections of the Jordan River Trail. We improve the street lighting in high table areas, with several other tag lights arriving until the end of this month. We have committed an unprecedented in-city historical $-am-American voice.

Officers have additional attention to the clean -up work such as the Jordan River Parkway, which was closed for three months, and the baseball stadium, said the boss and the mayor.

Mendenhall also praised Redd, whom she had chosen in February as the city's new chief of police as a replacement for Mike Brown.

“Under the leadership of Chief Redd, Salt Lake City ended with an eight -year -old deep against overall crime. And we are on the right track to end the year 2025, with over 1,000 other prison bookings, the 2024,” said Mendenhall.

According to the city's statistics, the overall crime has dropped both in the year compared to the previous year and in the last three -year average.

Overall, however, violent crimes has increased. According to the city's statistics, serious physical injury, robbery and rape have increased compared to a previous year.

Burglaries in residential areas in particular have been on the rise in recent months. Redd believes that this is partly due to the successes that the officials have fought the drug problem in the city. He says that the street price of Fentanyl has expired, which causes some to commit other crimes to support their dependencies.

Here Redd and Mendenhall will say that support from people outside of Salt Lake City is necessary to address the interface of crime, homelessness, addiction and psychological health problems.

“It is not good to treat someone and bring them back to the same environment,” said Redd, adding that the “system” must be better aligned so that people can help to become sober.

According to Mendenhall, these short -term “victories” will not distract the city from reaching their general public security plan. But the police can't do it alone.

“You are not prepared to solve every problem. And you shouldn't have to be. Your job is to protect our community and enforce the law. And I want you to hear me when I say that our officials are as frustrated as everyone else in the way our system fails,” she said.

“Salt Lake City does not let us prevent a broken system from repairing the parts that we can control,” she added. “We do not mean a lack of space in the protection system for a lack of effort for our site.”