Salt Lake City’s Police Department (SLCPD) has launched the Community Impact Division (CID) to increase officer presence and reduce crime downtown. Within the first six months of its creation, officers:

• Made weekly felony arrests ranging from 12-25 and misdemeanor arrests ranging from 16-45;

• Cleared hundreds of warrants through proactive patrol and fugitive arrests;

• Contacted hundreds of unsheltered per month, resulting in referrals to service providers, camp abatements, and coordination for environmental cleanup;

• Identified individuals experiencing acute mental health crisis and facilitated transports to Huntsman Mental Health Institute; and 

• Utilized expanded bike squads and foot patrols along the Jordan River Trail, Liberty Park, Richmond Park, Jefferson Park, and downtown.

The SLCPD has deployed its Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (VCAT) to aggressively target gang activity and disrupt the spread of narcotics and firearms. 

During the first six months of deployment, VCAT and Gang Unit detectives have conducted multiple major operations targeting narcotics trafficking, firearms violations, and repeat violent offenders. Their efforts have seized thousands of fentanyl pills and cash, almost 100 illegally possessed firearms, and more than 20 pounds of marijuana and 100 THC cartridges and accessories. 

Enforcement of public order offenses is a priority for the City. Under Chief Brian Redd’s leadership, the SLCPD has already emphasized the importance of addressing these offenses. As new initiatives are rolled out, these priorities will be reaffirmed through the SLCPD’s hotspot policing strategy focused on violent crime and the implementation of the new CONNECT List, which identifies individuals with repeated system contact for more coordinated intervention and accountability. 

The City Council will be presented with an updated ordinance aimed at addressing the negative impacts of camping, including updates to the regulations prohibiting the use of RVs for camping on streets in the City. The City hopes to transmit this in late summer for City Council review in the fall.

Prosecutors are seeking enhanced penalties for repeat offenders. Arresting agencies operating in the City are required to indicate whether an arrestee is a repeat offender in the Downtown Safety Initiative (DSI) area. These designations are communicated to both the City Prosecutor’s Office and the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office. The City, City Prosecutor, legal defenders, and courts are continuing to coordinate on and refine this process.

The City has redoubled efforts to enforce quality of life laws to improve responsiveness to residents and businesses negatively impacted by crime and homelessness. Efforts include the creation of the Urban Services Division within City operations, expansion of the Rapid Intervention Team, a camping ordinance that will be presented to City Council, and other policy changes. 

The City’s Department of Economic Development has met with key partners to establish the Downtown Safety & Activation Partnership. Regular meetings will continue and enhance communication.

Salt Lake City is closely coordinating with The Other Side Village to expedite development of their next phase(s) after completing Phase One to add over 200 new deeply affordable tiny homes.

As of July 2025, there are 400 more beds in Salt Lake County than in July 2024. Significant efforts are going into getting temporary shelter beds until the State moves forward on its campus. 

• The City is hosting 200 beds at Ville 1990 and paying for security.
• The City has allowed current resource centers in the city to continue to operate at expanded capacity.
• The City approved the youth shelter to operate with expanded capacity.
• A county winter services plan is moving forward and will be proposed to the State in August.  

Salt Lake City feels great urgency and is doing everything in its power to make the State’s campus shelter campus happen as soon as possible. However, until the State moves forward on its campus and we have permanent, ongoing funding at the State level, we will not make meaningful progress.

This SLCPD team plays a critical role in addressing chronic system utilization and supports the implementation of the new CONNECT List. As the CONNECT List identifies individuals with repeated law enforcement contact, the Community Connections Team provides targeted intervention to stabilize these individuals and reduce repeated cycling through the criminal justice, shelter, and healthcare systems. This team will support care coordination and facilitate communication across systems of care. 

The SLCPD implemented new requirements to improve the documentation and handling of cases involving individuals who may pose a greater risk to public safety. 

Proposed in the Mayor’s FY26 Recommended Budget and adopted by the City Council, the City brought together resources from several departments and created a citywide Clean City Team. This strategy consolidates resources to address conditions that can lead to crime.
Learn more here.

The City will work to expand safe storage options in 2025, understanding that having a secure place to store important possessions is critical for unsheltered people. 

The City has added security services at some parks at closing hours to make sure people comply with park curfews. This was proposed in the Mayor’s FY26 Recommended Budget and adopted by the City Council. Westside locations include Cottonwood Park, Glendale Park, International Peace Gardens, Jordan Park, Jordan River Parkway, and Riverside Park.

The City is working to improve lighting in crime hotspots and main thoroughfares where populations experiencing homelessness tend to gather. Funding for this was proposed in the Mayor’s FY26 Recommended Budget and adopted by the City Council in June.

The City is more aggressively enforcing ordinances on abandoned properties and boarded buildings, which are linked to crime hotspots.

The City is exploring funding additional police officers to ensure that effective proactive policing strategy continues to decrease crime.

The City is developing an integrated park security camera program at high-volume parks and public squares in 2025 to deter crime. Some funding was allocated in the FY26 budget adopted in June 2025. The City is coordinating with the State on placement and between different city departments on integration near the Jordan River.

The SLCPD will secure and deploy additional public safety cameras in high-traffic areas. Funding for this action was proposed in the Mayor’s FY26 Recommended Budget and adopted by the City Council in June. They are in the process of deploying these cameras across the city.

The City initiated discussion with the Utah League of Cities and Towns (ULCT) on best practices for policies and enforcement actions to be shared with municipal governments.

The City is expanding the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) to respond more quickly to reports of trash, biowaste, camping, and other livability issues, and deep-cleaning sidewalks and other high-traffic spaces more regularly. Funding for three additional full-time employees was proposed in the Mayor’s FY26 Recommended Budget and subsequently adopted by the City Council.

Salt Lake City recently awarded a Request for Proposals (RFP) to a local nonprofit provider to operate the Salt Lake City Public Hygiene Pilot Program for 12 months, which will include toilets, showers, and laundry services.

The Mayor’s FY26 Recommended Budget proposed $5 million for deeply affordable housing, which was adopted by the City Council in June. 

Social workers, park rangers, and community responders often help resolve issues, freeing police and fire department teams to do their jobs. These teams are impactful and can work with the SLCPD and SLCFD more efficiently. Funding to embark on a systemwide efficiency analysis to save taxpayer money and have a more effective impact in the community was included in the Mayor’s FY26 Recommended Budget, which was adopted by the City Council in June.

The long-term goal of this coordination, as more shelter beds open, is to be more effective with City-funded street outreach, and the Justice Court, SLCPD, and SLCFD social workers to focus intense engagement with those remaining outside to get them into other options.

The City has convened a data and research working group with the SLCPD, Salt Lake County, and the Salt Lake City Justice Court. The ongoing focus is to improve data sharing and strengthen the ability to cross-reference agency data.

As the SLCPD continues to develop and implement its CONNECT List program, it will centralize key status and resource information for CONNECT persons, in partnership with other agencies. The SLCPD has also met with Utah’s Third District Court administration and the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice team to explore data sharing and/or integration for future implementation. 

Increase and fund Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams from five teams to nine so that 400 more clients can be served anywhere in the community, meeting current Salt Lake County needs.

Salt Lake County Jail proposed adding 450 additional beds through the recent County bond proposal to meet the current needs. As of June, they have added 200 more beds.

If Salt Lake City and the State can launch a pilot emergency shelter with sufficient beds, the West Valley City shelter building on Redwood Road could be considered for alternative needs.

The State Legislature should identify and allocate a stable, dedicated funding source for homeless services, mental and behavioral health, and affordable housing during the 2025 Legislative Session. Several ideas for funding streams have been discussed in past years, including an alcohol or tobacco tax, a real estate transaction fee, an increase to the local option sales tax, and a boarded and vacant building tax.

The State Legislature should consider requiring all counties to provide some ratio of emergency shelter and housing services in proportion to their population, projected growth, and number of cost-burdened or housing insecure household units. The Point-In-Time Count and each jurisdiction’s Moderate Income Housing Plan could also be considered to determine need.

New laws passed during the 2025 legislative session address continuity of care issues across county mental health authorities and local law enforcement agencies, and standardize definitions of illegal camping.

To assist movement of people through existing mental health and substance use treatment programs, a portion of new shelter beds should be developed and set aside specifically for those exiting treatment. 

Much was done during the 2025 legislative session to prevent premature jail releases, including passing laws aimed at holding habitual offenders, the transfer of inmates from crowded jails to less crowded ones, ensuring timely pretrial evaluations and hearings, and transparency in plea bargaining.

Much was done during the 2025 legislative session to prevent premature jail releases, including passing laws aimed at holding habitual offenders, the transfer of inmates from crowded jails to less crowded ones, ensuring timely pretrial evaluations and hearings, and transparency in plea bargaining.

County Pretrial Services needs additional resources to properly supervise people, as well as additional resources to which people can be referred to seek the assistance they need, such as safe living spaces, to not re-offend.

Salt Lake County has committed to working with cities, the state, and philanthropic partners on funding opportunities and properties to develop housing for those in behavioral health treatment, including group homes and Permanent Supportive Housing projects with appropriate county services included.

The Office of Homeless Services should lead a request for additional FY27 operations and capital funds, and continue to pursue a permanent homeless services campus to open as soon as FY28.  

Implement the Salt Lake County Human Services, Homelessness, and Criminal Justice Reform Action Plan by funding and developing acute mental health group homes, permanent supportive housing, and other deeply affordable housing so that people can be more quickly discharged from acute care, allowing more people to move through the outpatient treatment system.

While other counties were not directly incentivized to increase their residential behavioral health and substance use treatment options, several new laws passed during the 2025 legislative session did address the challenges that smaller and more rural jurisdictions face in providing these services. Laws passed expanding virtual options for telehealth and remote court hearings, strengthening the civil commitment process for those in danger who have intellectual disabilities, requiring data collection and reporting regarding inmates with substance abuse disorders, and creating mobile medication assisted treatment options.

Salt Lake County identified 300 beds as the goal for this facility to avoid discharges without an appropriate referral option.

The Legislature should consider additional statutory provisions aimed at admitting individuals into medical facilities for purposes of evaluating and treating substance abuse disorders.

Laws passed during the 2025 legislative session directed state agencies and boards to coordinate with federal entities on the development of best practices and provision of wraparound services for Medicaid recipients.

Fund recommendations in the Governor’s budget for the Division of Services for People with Disabilities (DSPD) to move people through the waiting list. The current waiting list is nearly 7,000 people long, meaning that people wait years.

Increasing housing options for individuals discharged from treatment is important for ongoing stabilization and treatment success.

Each entity should devote committed resources to implementing a joint plan within and across our organizations. The Office of Homeless Services, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake City, and the Utah Impact Partners have all identified this as a critical need, but thus far we have not set out to build the process where the partners work together to achieve this integration.

The State should consider evaluating the cost of services and care across sectors for chronically homeless individuals versus the cost of providing permanent supportive housing for that population. The State OHS has been collecting information about investments in homeless services from local governments and providers statewide. We hope this can be used to effectively advocate for services and housing solutions for those experiencing homelessness.

HB 329 specifically addressed our request for a funding source homeless people could access to be reunified with their support networks in other states, as well as the need to adjust shelter rules and security to ensure safe environments for people who need help.

HB 329 specifically addressed our request for the need to adjust shelter rules and security to ensure safe environments for people who need help.