Latest news with #UtahDepartmentofCorrections
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
Two inmates charged for allegedly stabbing ‘rival gang member' at Utah State Prison
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. SALT LAKE CITY () — Two inmates at the Utah State Correctional Facility have been charged with aggravated assault after allegedly stabbing who they say was a rival gang member. The victim was hospitalized for his serious injuries. Michael Thomas Webb, 20, has been charged with aggravated assault with injury by a prisoner, possessing a weapon as an offender, riot causing substantial or serious bodily injury, criminal conspiracy, and prohibited dangerous weapon conduct. Four masked men allegedly rob Ogden man after woman leads them to residence, charges say Efrain Castillo, 43, was charged with aggravated assault with injury by a prisoner, riot causing substantial or serious bodily injury, and criminal conspiracy. According to documents, a Utah Department of Corrections officer at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake County responded to an emergency call from an inmate on May 7, 2025. When he arrived at the cell, he found the victim on his bunk with blood on his face and bleeding heavily. The officer said he observed blood on the floor, walls, and mattress. The victim was seen by the medical care team, and they found eight stab wounds in his back. He had to be hospitalized and had 'significant internal injuries and temporary loss of respiratory function.' Surveillance footage from the cell showed the victim getting struck with fists and then being 'backed into' his cell by Castillo and Webb. Webb followed the victim into the cell, with Castillo following behind. At this point, Webb allegedly withdrew a weapon from his waistband and made 'eight distinct stab motions' to the victim's back while Castillo restrained him. Utah man pleads guilty to attempting to hire hitman while behind bars in 2020 According to documents, surveillance footage then showed Webb exiting the cell and concealing the weapon in his waistband again. Blood can be seen on his right hand. Castillo and Webb are members of a gang that is 'rivals' with the victim's gang affiliation, according to documents. During an interview about the incident, Webb allegedly told police, 'I just asked him a question and after that it was that … He said he was a [member of a rival gang] and I told him who I was.' As inmates, Castillo and Webb are already incarcerated at the Utah State Correctional Facility. Ram kills the $40K truck, brings back the HEMI Assassin dancers, existential nuns, and comedy that cuts deep Two inmates charged for allegedly stabbing 'rival gang member' at Utah State Prison FBI offers $5,000 reward for information on Montana teen missing for 8 months Pride Festival: Here are the street closures happening in Salt Lake City Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Utah Department of Corrections enters into agreement with ICE
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) — The Utah Department of Corrections has signed an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), formalizing the relationship between the two organizations. The Memorandum of Agreement will establish a warrant officer program for the Utah State Correctional Facility and the Central Utah Correctional Facility. UDC employees will be trained as officers to coordinate and share information directly with ICE. Remains found in Salt Lake confirmed to be University of Utah student who disappeared in 1973 'We are dedicated to protecting communities, and that's what this relationship does. We will not tolerate those who come to our country illegally and victimize our citizens. We will continue to collaborate with our local, state, and federal partners to hold these people accountable,' UDC Executive Director Jared Garcia said in a press release Wednesday. According to the UDC, the two organizations already have a long-standing history of cooperation in removing criminals after their sentences are completed. Delta crew pays tribute to LDS missionary during his 'final flight' home Utah Department of Corrections enters into agreement with ICE Sparks Museum and Event Center is full of history and family ties Protein and veggie drink mixes are delicious and nutritious with Sips Club Real Salt Lake returns home to face red-hot Portland Timbers on Star Wars Night Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
City council OKs Brian Redd, mayor's pick for police chief
The Salt Lake City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved Brian Redd as the next police chief. The big picture: Redd's arrival comes as Utah GOP leaders pressure the city for a new approach to homelessness. State of play: During a council work session ahead of the vote, Redd called for an "empathetic and compassionate" policing approach and partnerships within the social services system to address root causes of crime. What they're saying: "I think good ideas come from the ground up, so we want to create a culture where our officers are heard and listened to and involved in the decision-making process in the department," he said. State of play: Redd, Mayor Erin Mendenhall's pick to replace former police chief Mike Brown, most recently led the Utah Department of Corrections. Redd was appointed to the post by Gov. Spencer Cox in 2023. He also worked for the Utah Department of Public Safety for about two decades.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Brian Redd tapped as Salt Lake's next police chief, but will he ease crime concerns?
Mayor Erin Mendenhall presented her office's public safety plan to tackle crime in Salt Lake City in January. The plan specifically included increasing police presence downtown and in high-crime areas. A month later, Mendenhall recommended a new police chief, Brian Redd, who's served as the Utah Department of Corrections executive director for nearly two years, to implement the plan. Though crime is the lowest it has been in 16 years, Mendenhall said it doesn't matter what statistics say if people don't feel safe. 'I've learned more than ever in this job that perception is reality and never more so than in public safety.' 'The perception of being safe is real, and it is our job to address that,' she told the Deseret News Editorial Board on Friday afternoon alongside Redd. 'This change in leadership reflects that.' Mendenhall announced her nomination of Redd last week in a press conference. The Salt Lake City Council will make the deciding vote on Tuesday, and Mendenhall anticipates the council will lean in Redd's favor. Mendenhall said Friday that the city's government cannot work in isolation to execute her public safety plan. Key actions of the Public Safety Plan include: Increase police presence downtown and in high-crime neighborhoods to decrease gun violence and get drugs off the streets. Increase emergency shelter options to allow more year-round services for the homeless. Impose higher prosecution for 'High Utilizers' of the legal system. Expand treatment for mental health, behavioral health and substance use. Invest in housing to create options for homeless people following their time in shelter services. It is 'the most clear prescription for solutions across the spectrum of services for the people most in need and who are creating the most negative impact in the city,' she said, adding that Redd, 'brings trusted relationships across this system and a proven record of positive transformation in departments that he has led.' Rep. Matthew Gwynn, R-Farr West, agreed, calling Mendenhall's nomination of Redd a 'phenomenal pick.' 'Brian is a change agent and will make surmountable strides in improving morale, thus creating an environment in which police officers will feel able and willing to proactively police Salt Lake City and respond to calls for service in a manner prescriptive to the individual calls themselves,' he told the Deseret News, adding that he hopes Mendenhall will give Redd the 'capacity and discretion to make decisions that will allow for the SLCPD to reach their full potential.' Redd told the Deseret News that the first thing he would do in his new role was listen to his officers' concerns. 'I said this all the time in the Department of Corrections, and it's true: How can we at the top make good decisions if we're not talking to the people on the ground and listening to them?' 'That's my commitment to the officers, (which) is to listen and to try to implement the things that they are seeing out on the street and providing that support.' Promising to be a boots-on-the-ground kind of leader, Redd has spent much of his professional career in that capacity. 'I did that in the Department of Corrections. I worked the graveyard shift alongside the officers and made it a point to engage with all levels of the organization, and I did the same in the Department of Public Safety,' he said. 'I will be with the officers out in the field.' Both he and Mendenhall said the SLCPD would not enforce federal immigration laws unless absolutely necessary. 'There needs to be trust in those communities with the police because a lot of times what happens is those who are undocumented are victimized, many times, by their own community,' Redd said. 'We need to make sure that they feel comfortable to report crime to the police.' 'The balance that I would have to strike is, do we need to have police officers in the area in case there's a problem? But I don't want the perception that we're involved in federal immigration enforcement. That is not our role.' Mendenhall mentioned that since the city receives grants from the Department of Justice, it remains in compliance with federal requirements and respects their actions, but local law enforcement 'was never designed to do immigration enforcement (and) doesn't have any capacity in the systems to even do those kinds of checks and doesn't want to on top of everything else that our local policing is handling.' 'We receive federal dollars, and we make sure that we're in compliance. But what's happening right now is destabilizing and ambiguous.'
Axios
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Salt Lake City mayor announces her pick for police chief
About a week after firing long-time Salt Lake City police chief Mike Brown, Mayor Erin Mendenhall on Thursday announced Brian Redd, the executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections, as her pick to replace him. Why it matters: Redd's hiring, pending city council approval, would mark a new chapter for the Salt Lake City Police Department, which has come under pressure from GOP state leaders for its "ineffectiveness" in handling the homelessness crisis in Utah's capital city. Catch up quick: A Republican lawmaker last week introduced a bill that would force the city to enter into an agreement with the state to curb homelessness and drug crimes. If the agreement isn't reached, the state could withhold funding from the city, under the bill. Yes, but: Mendenhall told reporters the change of the guard was not related to the state lawmakers' pursuit of the legislation. "They're going to do whatever they want to do, and it has nothing to do with my decision here," she said Flashback: Brown, who joined the police force in 1991, has led the department for the better part of a decade. His last day is Feb. 28. What they're saying:"Salt Lake City's police department today is strong in both our staffing and our public safety statistics, but we are also at an inflection point," Mendenhall told reporters Thursday at the Salt Lake City and County Building, adding that the city is facing criminal activities by drug cartels and "complex challenges" around homelessness. Zoom in: Redd, in 2023, was appointed by Gov. Spencer Cox to oversee two prisons, six community correctional centers and five adult probation and patrol districts. What's next: The council is set to consider Mendenhall's recommendation on March 4.
