Reader comments
Cottonwood Heights is deciding on police force

Get ready residents of Cottonwood Heights to have your streets turned into a giant speed trap. This is not in the interest of public safety. It is in the interest of generating more revenue for city government and more tax on the backs of the citizens in the form of tickets. It�s not bad enough that Sandy cops have to arrest the Relief Society President because she was going 5 miles an hour over the speed limit down a hill. Now we will have a new group of cops who will focus on just the residence Cottonwood Heights. Yikes! Count on the cops having ticket quotas to fund their budget. Cottonwood Heights is a safe, low crime place. The bureaucrats just can�t help themselves. Incorporate the unincorporated and then spend spend spend. Citizens of Cottonwood Heights attend this meeting and oppose the police state that the mayor is trying to create!

I work part time for the city and am also a 20 year resident. Isn't it great to be able to take shots at elected officials, as the previous writer did, while hiding behind anonymity. Free speech can really flow when one is not required to provide evidence for their accusations. The fact is, under the current county contract the Sheriff is running roughshod over the provisions allowing the city officials some input into the law enforcement process. These provisions were negotiated with the previous Sheriff and the current Sheriff has been unwilling to sit down with city officials and renegotiate on the changes he'd like. He just ignores the contract, does what he wants, and claims it's what everyone wants. The city will do a good thing for its citizens when it takes control of police services and is able to focus those services on the city and not just as a slice of the county. The city will also be able to channel its funds to pay for its citizens services, not for White City and Millcreek. Anyone opposing a city police department hasn't taken the time to study the issue and learn the facts.

The assumption that the city council would be doing this solely for money and to arrest poor soccer moms is laughable! "Opposed" you obvioulsy do not understand how municipal courts run - 70% of all those fines you pay go straight to the STATE, not to the city. Some cities still try to use the courts as a revenue source, what is your basis for assuming that CH will take that unpopular view?
The incorporation of Cottonwood Heights (and other cities) is widely held to be a benefit by those citizens served. Kearns/Magna might not have liked CH/Holladay/Taylorsville incorporating, but it's the opinion of those being served that is relevant.

Of course any mayor is going to "excited" and "pleased" to have their own police force (it is seen as their own little kingdom). The major problem with so many agencies lumped together in the Salt Lake Valley is the duplication of work and the programs within each police agency. If it was really about "Public Safety" then the answer is a Valley Metro Police Agency modeled after Las Vegas Metro. This would do away with excessive funds being wasted on duplication of work and it would break some of the jurisdictional barriers that occur. It would streamline paper work and information sharing on criminal activity and ongoing investigations (all on the same database). It is way past time for the Valley to come to grips that each town doesn't and shouldn't need its own police force. It is a waste of tax payers dollars and time.

As a resident of Cottonwood Heights, I oppose this new police dept. I have studied and digested all the information. Talked to the Mayor (who I voted for) and the Sheriff, plus several cops from the sheriff's dept, sandy pd, murray pd & wvc pd. This is a mistake.
As B F Skinner (psychologist) said 'behavior has consequences', Robert W., Mayor and all that support this dept, do not complain in a year or two when service is low, crime up and higher costs.

Opposed for life, YOU obviously dont understand how "municipal courts are ran. the VAST majority of citations that are handled by the city justice courts keep 85% of the fine. There are only a few more serious misdemeanor crimes that the majority of the fine goes to the state. Go ahead and check out courts.utah.gov and pull up the bail schedule if you don't believe me.

Anyone who thinks that city justice courts are not for revenue are either just plain stupid or oblivious to reality. Look around at all the small police departments around the state. The only way they survive is by writing anything and everyone they can a ticket.

You want real public safety? Then get rid of city ran justice courts and small city police departments!!! These cops might be real good at writing tickets but when it comes to real cop work, I wouldnt trust them with my pets life!

This is all such a joke! I read the feasibility study and let me tell you, it had more holes in it then swiss cheese. And no, I dont work or have any affiliation with the SLCSO, im just calling it like it is.

What a sting! Nice job trying to entrap residents opinions.

The last year the S.O. worked Draper City, the calls for service amounted 7000 calls. The first year Draper Police patrolled Draper, calls for service amounted to 14,965. Officers began asking questions to determine why there was such a big increase in calls. The common answer was when the S.O patrolled the city, citizens didn�t call on minor calls for service because if and when a deputy showed up, it was usually a long wait. Another common occurrence in the early days of the Draper Police Department, officers found many people calling from other locations about incidents which occurred in Draper, thinking that they would have plenty of time to drive home and wait for officers to arrive. The officer would be waiting at the home for the citizen to arrive, and the citizen would be shocked, and delighted, to see an officer already there. A common statement was, �I just wanted to see if anyone would show up. You never knew if the Sheriff would.� If the level of public safety were as poor as Winder claims, cities would be rushing back just to reclaim the �high level of shared services� and �lower costs� provided by the Sheriff�

A common statement was, �I just wanted to see if anyone would show up. You never knew if the Sheriff would.� If the level of public safety were as poor as Winder claims, cities would be rushing back just to reclaim the �high level of shared services� and �lower costs� provided by the Sheriff�

I've live in Cottonwood Heights for 2 year and consider the city having there own police force just another way to harass the community.

Speed traps, yes get ready for any reason to stop and ticket the tax payer with higher insurance cost and smaller wallets.

I hate this dam town and have my house for sale and will never return to costoppo-land.
Public safety, what a frekin joke.
Hope they all get cancer from there radar guns.

I think I'll make up a bumper sticker just for this event of the take over of Cottonwood Heights

"Welcome to Gestapo Heights, Land of speed traps and higher taxes"