WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (AP) - The police department in Utah’s second-largest city is reviving its drug unit more than two years after it was disbanded amid controversy.
More than 100 cases investigated by the West Valley City Police Department’s narcotics squad were dismissed after an investigation found officers kept souvenirs from drug busts and mishandled evidence.
Eight officers from the unit were put on leave or disciplined, and a ninth officer was fired in the wake of the probe. It started after an unarmed woman, 21-year-old Danielle Willard, was shot and killed by Detective Shaun Cowley while he was a member of the unit in 2012. He was later cleared of a manslaughter charge in the high-profile shooting.
Police Chief Lee Russo said the new narcotics unit set to relaunch in Monday will operate under new personnel and procedures to ensure accountability. “We’re starting fresh, from the ground up,” the chief told The Deseret News (https://bit.ly/1DKlpCQ ).
The team will include six detectives and one sergeant. It will be headed by Lt. Matt Elson, who was personally selected by Russo.
“He understands how the department operates,” Russo said. “He’s not afraid to hold people accountable.”
The other members were chosen after a rigorous application process, including internal affairs investigations. Several of those chosen were patrol officers with little drug investigation experience.
The members of the new unit will spend the next several weeks in field training, and they will then be assigned to work with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s local Metro Strike Force for six months. Russo is also sending three additional officers to work with the DEA unit.
“The big fish always start from the little fish. Every drug arrest that we make, every corner dealer that we arrest is an opportunity to start an investigation and follow it up the chain,” he said.
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Information from: Deseret News, https://www.deseretnews.com
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