SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 18, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — In the wake of considerable speculation surrounding his decision to place Rodney Chatman on leave from his position as chief of police at University of Utah, the University’s Chief Safety Officer Marlon Lynch issued a statement Friday night, addressing that decision.
Lynch said that part of Chatman’s hiring agreement required him to become Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training certified within a year.
Although Chatman wasn’t POST-certified when he took on the role of U of U police chief, “Rodney had full authority to oversee University of Utah Police as a university department head, including making personnel, strategy and budget decisions. This is a common practice for veteran law enforcement leaders coming from outside the state who need to seek certification,” Lynch said.
Lynch became aware, however, of an investigation by the Utah State Attorney General’s Office into allegations that Chatman may have violated certain guidelines — that are also criminal offenses — which could have an adverse impact on Chatman’s Utah POST certification. This, he says, is why he put Chatman on leave.
Chatman had been hired during a period when U of U was still reeling from repercussions related to the October 2018 murder of student athlete Lauren McCluskey and the way University police had responded, or failed to respond, to her expressed fears of a former boyfriend who persisted in threatening her.
In October 2019, University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy retired.
Chatman, who was hired to replace Brophy, came to Utah from Ohio, where he had experience in policing and in executive public safety positions at two universities. Chatman took over as the University of Utah chief of police in February 2020.
In August of this year, U of U police officer Miguel Deras was fired by Chatman after being accused of having improperly sharing intimate, evidentiary photos of McCluskey.
On Thursday night, it became known that Chatman had been put on leave and, according to U of U Communications Director Chris Nelson, “Day-to-day operations of University Police are being managed by Deputy Chief Jason Hinojosa.”
Nelson declined to provide more information and, since Thursday night, several governmental agencies confirmed that Chatman is under investigation, but no details have been forthcoming.
Attorney Jeremy Jones, who represented fired U of U police officer Miguel Deras released a statement Thursday night. It was a scathing criticism of the University of Utah for its “hypocrisy” in saying Chatman’s situation is a “personnel matter” and therefore private, yet the University “publicly pilloried” its police officers, and spoke openly about the allegations of misconduct, and the investigation into those allegations in the aftermath of the McCluskey murder.
Late Friday night, the University’s Chief Safety Officer Marlon Lynch released the following statement:
Earlier this week, I informed my leadership team and the university’s administration of my decision to place Rodney Chatman on leave. Since that announcement, there has been a great deal of speculation about that decision. While I would not normally comment on a personnel matter, I believe it is in the interest of transparency and our commitment to earning the trust of our campus community to clarify and provide context for this decision.
Rodney Chatman was hired on February 17, 2020, as the chief/director of University of Utah Police. He was previously a certified police officer in Ohio and chief of police at the University of Dayton.
Like all Utah law enforcement agencies, the university’s police chief/director must be certified by the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training. Law enforcement officers and leaders coming from outside of Utah who are not already POST certified, or who hold a similar certification in another state, must follow the Utah POST-certification requirements before representing themselves as a police officer.
As part of his hiring agreement, Rodney was given one year to obtain Utah POST-certification.
I want to clarify that over the past year despite not yet being Utah POST certified, Rodney had full authority to oversee University of Utah Police as a university department head, including making personnel, strategy and budget decisions. This is a common practice for veteran law enforcement leaders coming from outside the state who need to seek certification.
Prior to placing Rodney on leave earlier this week, I was made aware of an investigation by the Utah State Attorney General’s Office into allegations Rodney may have violated certain guidelines that are also criminal offenses, which could also adversely impact his Utah POST certification. This is a serious matter and I have expressed the university’s intent to cooperate fully in the AG’s investigation.
While I appreciate the important work Rodney has done on behalf of university safety over the past year, I cannot overlook these allegations and the impact they might have on his ability to maintain an active Utah POST certification. Hence, I made the decision to place Rodney on leave and have asked deputy chief Jason Hinojosa to oversee day-to-day operations of the police until this matter is resolved.
On a personal level, I acknowledge that Rodney came to the university at a very difficult and pivotal time for University of Utah Police and has helped guide it through a period of considerable change. He has helped me build a positive, responsive culture and to reorganize the department strategically to improve transparency, accountability and effectiveness.
I have no doubt that Rodney has a personal dedication to keeping the public safe and is passionate about positively influencing the lives of our campus community.
In a brief addendum to his statement, Lynch said that all public safety functions at the University were reorganized under the Office of the Chief Safety Officer in 2019; prior to that all public safety units reported through the University’s chief of police. Units reporting through the chief safety officer include the University’s Health Security, Campus Security, Emergency Services, University Police and Community Services.
“The reorganization has included reallocating funding from the University of Utah Police to other parts of the university’s public safety infrastructure,” Lynch said.
New committees that have been developed under the Office of the Chief Safety Officer include students, faculty and staff “and are designed to ensure broad representation in public safety decisions.”
“One of the new committees, the Public Safety Advisory Committee, explores policies, training requirements and diversity strategies. An Independent Review Committee reviews citizen complaints of abusive language, violations of rights, use of excessive force and dereliction of duty brought against members of University Police. Following internal affairs reviews, this committee will be able to comment on policies and recommend procedural and communication changes,” Lynch said.
The University is also seeking accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA).
The U of U Police Department includes an investigations unit, a patrol unit, and an administrative unit. Associate Director Shawn Bryce recently joined the department to oversee a new community outreach program.
To learn more about U of U’s safety efforts, click here.
