OGDEN — Investigators with the Weber County Attorney's Office will probe the actions taken by the city's mayor and its police chief and whether a suspended officer was rightfully relieved of duty.

Some residents, however, are skeptical of the probe even before it gets under way, saying it should be moved outside Weber County so it is impartial and fair.

"I believe that we need to do an independent inquiry on this police issue, that we get counsel outside of Weber County so that it's very clear that there is no partisanship to any inquiry," said Carol Jennings, an Ogden resident.

Mayor Matthew Godfrey announced the investigation Tuesday in the midst of a heated controversy rooted in disputes over officers' evaluations and "performance standards," and whether city employees have a right to free speech critical of the administration's policies.

At issue is the plight of Ogden police officer Matthew Jones. Both the chief and mayor insist he was placed on administrative leave for unrelated reasons, but it was on the same day his wife was spotted driving a moving van sporting signs critical of Godfrey.

The officers' identity was obtained after Police Chief Jon Greiner asked Godfrey for the license plate number.

"If there was something inappropriate, both myself and the chief will be very forthright in accepting any wrongdoing and taking the appropriate action if we have been found to be doing something wrong," Godfrey said.

The trouble erupted several months ago when the Ogden City Council passed a resolution requiring officers and firefighters to score 80 percent or higher on their evaluation to get a full 5 percent pay increase. A component of the evaluation for officers is the number of traffic tickets written.

Despite objections by firefighters and officers, Ogden city officials refused to revisit the new evaluation requirements and in protest, police officers failed to show up for duty due to the "blue flu."

At the time, representatives of the Ogden Police Benefit Association criticized the new performance requirements and the attendant need to write more tickets, saying it is nothing more than a revenue generator for Godfrey's "pet projects."

The controversy took on public life with the moving van and its critical signs, escalating even more after Jones was put on leave.

Godfrey spotted the van July 27 as he was leaving work and said he thought he recognized the driver as an "officer" and after following it, eventually called Greiner.

Although Godfrey stated it was Jones driving the van, Jones said it wasn't him, but, in fact, his wife.

When Godfrey realized it was an officer, he called Greiner to tell him he believed members of OPBA were behind the roving van with its messages — something critical because the mayor had been assured earlier that the association had nothing to do with it.