Editorial

Sandy Police need better image

The Sandy Post, Mar 28, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (10 Reader comments)

The sextuple whammy of lawsuits against members of the Sandy Police Department make apparent the fact that the city’s law enforcement agency needs to work on its image.

Some locals have accused the department of being harassers, liars, thugs, racist against Hispanics – allegations that peaked in summer 2005 – and even murderers.

We may never know what happened in each of the cases related to the lawsuits that alleged police wrongdoing – those kinds of judgments should and will be left to the courts – but what we do know is that the department has a serious public relations problem in this city.

A big part of that is the fact that the department seems to be all business. The idea of the neighborhood cop is all but gone, and we feel that the Sandy Police Department must do more to become a community player, or it will continue to generate ill feelings, misunderstanding and perhaps more lawsuits.

The police should learn from their public safety colleagues at the Sandy Fire District. Local firefighters are always out in the community, whether it’s showing up at a Good Morning Sandy event for the Chamber of Commerce, lending a hand to help move furniture out of a business, manning information booths at local events or fitting helmets for free on weekends. These people are extremely visible, and are well-loved and respected.

We proudly display our “I (love) Sandy Fire” sticker on our door because that agency goes out of its way to show people it’s a part of this community.

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