EAGLE MOUNTAIN — The Utah Highway Patrol will conduct an internal review of Eagle Mountain Mayor Brian Olsen to determine if Olsen misrepresented himself while he was a trooper, said Lt. Doug McCleve, UHP spokesman.

"We're only in the beginning process of that review and we'll make some determinations based on what we find," McCleve said. "We keep employee files, and we'll review some of those things to see if there's anything that indicates misrepresentation, and if we find anything, it will go to an administrative review."

Olsen, a 10-year patrol veteran, is currently on a leave of absence while he serves as mayor, a common move for troopers who take public office, McCleve said. Olsen recently came under fire after admitting that he lied about having a master's degree during his campaign for a seat on the City Council and his subsequent mayoral campaign.

Olsen did his campaigning during his off-duty time while he was a trooper, McCleve said.

"The choices that Brian has made is not a reflection of the highway patrol in any way," McCleve said. "For us, honesty and integrity is of the utmost importance for all of our troopers. . . . all of us in law enforcement know that we're held to a higher standard whether we're on or off duty."

McCleve said the current review is an informal step, one applied to any trooper who misrepresents himself. No other implications of deceit on Olsen's part have been uncovered thus far, McCleve said.

McCleve said the highway patrol officials will review the probe findings and determine what steps will be taken should Olsen decide to return to service when his term ends. McCleve declined to speculate on any possible actions that might be considered.

Royce Van Tassell, community relations manager for the mayor, said the review did not come as a surprise to Olsen, who intends to cooperate fully with the review.

"As far as how this has affected his ability to get things done in the city, it hasn't had any impact," Van Tassell said. "He met with community leaders this morning to talk about what has gone on. . . . and while no one is happy with what the mayor's done, and he has a lot of work to do, he is doing a lot of work to regain the trust of the people and he is moving forward with his agenda to create more stimulating economic development in Eagle Mountain."

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