County Council moves toward unified police

The Salt Lake County Council has signed a letter of intent to create the Unified Police Department.

The proposed department will combine unincorporated land and five cities under one central police agency. The Unified Police Department is set to be up and running by December 2006.

The six potential members of the new department — Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, Riverton, Herriman, Bluffdale, Taylorsville and Salt Lake County — must sign the letter of intent, which asks that each of the municipalities agree to work "in good faith and provide their best efforts in working to establish the UPD."

The resolution also clarifies that law enforcement will be led locally by each city but that services will be pooled among the UPD and will be ultimately governed by the UPD board and a chief law enforcement officer that has yet to be selected.