Provo confirms shoplifting probe of Spanish Fork Police Chief Dee Rosenbaum

PROVO — Investigators have confirmed that Spanish Fork Police Chief Dee Rosenbaum is being investigated in connection with a shoplifting incident at a Dillard's department store.

The incident occurred Saturday at the Provo Towne Centre when Dillard's security staff called police about 1 p.m., saying they had detained someone they believed committed retail theft, said Provo Police Capt. Cliff Argyle.

The arriving officer recognized the man as Rosenbaum.

The responding officer wrote an initial report and deferred the investigation to the city attorney instead of processing it as a regular crime, Argyle said. Rosenbaum was not arrested at the time, and there are a few pieces of specific information missing in the report, the captain said.

"More needed to be done that he was not going to be able to complete right then," Argyle said. "More information was needed. The officer did not feel comfortable without having that extra added piece of information."

Argyle said the investigation will hopefully be done by next week. No charges had been filed against the chief as of Wednesday.

"Whether it was a chief of police or an regular citizen, this information that (the officer) wants to obtain, will be very helpful in clarifying what happened," Argyle said.

Meanwhile, Rosenbaum is still working at the Spanish Fork Police Department, according to assistant city manager Sean Perrins.

Perrins said Spanish Fork officials have started their own investigation of the matter but are waiting for more information from Provo about the incident.

"We're not looking into the crime," Perrins said. "We're gathering information as it relates to our employee and the facts of the allegations and charges."

Perrins said he couldn't speculate on what Rosenbaum's status would be should the allegations be proven but said the city would be "reviewing his employment as it relates to the issue."

— Abigail Shaha