By Debbie Hummel, The Associated Press
SANDY, Utah (AP) - The state board that sets police standards on Wednesday vowed to punish officers who break Utah’s bigamy law.
The issue has grown over the past year since the sentencing of a former southern Utah officer who was convicted of bigamy and an unlawful sex with a minor. Despite the conviction, some officers who are sworn to uphold the state Constitution violate it by practicing polygamy, officials told the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.
“There are some cases where we could proceed with disciplinary action,” Assistant Attorney General Cheryl Luke said.
The council voted unanimously that officers breaking the law would face revocation of their law-enforcement certification.
“I can’t believe that any citizen would think that practicing polygamy ... is anything that would make law enforcement look good,” said Ogden Police Chief Jon Griener, vice chairman of the board. He said the men were giving law enforcement a black eye.
Noting that the practice is tied to the area’s fundamentalist religious beliefs, the board’s director said those breaking the law were not likely to stop their behavior, making temporary discipline pointless.
“It’s part of their community, part of their religion,” POST director Maj. Sidney Groll said.
Hildale and adjacent Colorado City, Ariz., are home to the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Officers in the two towns are certified in both states.
Focus on the area’s police department began when prosecutors filed charges of bigamy and unlawful sex with a minor against Hildale/Colorado City Officer Rodney Holm, who was convicted last year and sentenced to one year in jail.
POST revoked Holm’s police certification two months later. And an initial investigation showed that several officers, including police Chief Sam Roundy, failed last year to complete the 40 hours of training required each fiscal year for an officer to remain certified. Their certifications were temporarily revoked, but later reinstated.
A message left by The Associate Press for Roundy was not immediately returned Wednesday.
Investigations of the department will continue and evidence of an officer practicing polygamy will be brought before the board. That person will have the choice of accepting revocation or taking the matter to a hearing before an administrative law judge, Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said after the hearing.
In the meantime, patrols by the Washington County Sheriff’s office have increased and new grant money will go toward placing a deputy in the area full-time, Shurtleff said.