Following an internal audit of the West Valley Utah Police Department’s Narcotics Unit, certain officers have been found to allegedly stolen drugs and money from individuals they had arrested or investigated. An investigation by the FBI into the West Valley Police Department is pending. Additionally, Salt Lake County opened up their own investigation into the cases following dismissal of several West Valley related cases they were prosecuting. West Valley’s City Manager this week made the announcement that the police department was clearly having problems and stated “we may have missing drugs and money that are associated with this investigation.”
West Valley has long had problems in the law enforcement area, specifically with regard to certain officers in their narcotics unit. As Utah Criminal Defense Attorneys we have long been fighting cases in the West Valley Justice Court as well as higher offenses in the Third District Court and have seen firsthand the corruption involved in some of these narcotics investigations. We have been fighting to hold the department accountable and believe further information will be forthcoming as to just how bad the problem really is.
The information which surfaced as a part of the internal audit will be shared with the FBI and the Salt Lake County attorney’s office as part of their respective investigations. It is not looking good for West Valley these days. Beyond the stolen money and drugs, we believe further information may come forth relating to officer involved shootings and other recent incidents of great concern. The City mentioned 6 areas of concern which were discovered through their internal audit:
- Improper Evidence Handling
- Missing Cash and Drugs
- Missing Other Small Items
- Officer’s Collecting Trophies from Cases
- Improper Use of Confidential Informants
- Illegal GPS Use
The City is not releasing the names and information for the officers involved at this time but did mention they believe it was one or possibly two officers who are the main culprits. We tend to believe more officers are implicated.
West Valley Criminal Defense Lawyer
If you believe officers misconduct was involved in a case in which you were charged, call and speak with a West Valley Criminal Defense Lawyer in our office today. We have handle numerous cases in which officers committed illegal searches, seizures, or otherwise violated constitutionally protected rights. In those cases we work hard to hold law enforcement accountable for their actions.